The Final Prophet
by Faelai
Summary: Between the secrets of the past and the mystery of the future, truth is revealed that will change the course of Sydney and Vaughn's lives forever.
1. Prologue

Title: The Final Prophet  
Author: Emily O'Donnell  
E-Mail: Rating: PG-13  
Genre: S/V, Action, Adventure, Mythology, Angst, Romance  
Summary: Between the secrets of the past and the tangled future, truth is revealed that will change the course of Sydney and Vaughn's lives forever.  
Timeline: Post Before the Flood' - Alternate beginning to Season 5  
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they belong to J.J Abrams and to all of the crazy twists he has given their lives, I am merely trying to understand the course that these lives will take.  
Date Begun: May 26, 2005

-

Prologue:  
Birth

-

The world waited in stillness. Nothing moved in the deep darkness of the night, no living being stirred in its slumber. Everything seemed to be frozen in time, breath held in anticipation. The stars themselves had seemed to cease their constant cycle for this very moment, waiting for the sound that would shatter the spell and send them reeling.

The man who stood in the doorway was lost in these thoughts. Leaning against the frame of the door, he lit a cigarette. The smoke curled slowly around his head, creating a halo of gray light against the brightness of the room within. Beyond the doorway, he faced a forest filled with darkness, but that was not where his fears lay. No, his fears were deeper and darker than anything that could be found in the wild. His fears lay within the civilized minds of man.

It arrived suddenly, piercing the night air with a shrill shriek. The cry of a child, an infant newly born into this world. The illusion of peace shattered, the clouds continued their rushing over the stars, blotting out their silvery light. The animals began to stir in the forest, the wind began to whisper through the trees. A new era had just been born, one the world was not yet aware of. With his first breath, this child had set into motion a chain of events that would lead to a world beyond all of their imaginations.

The sound of the child crying behind him caused a pained smile to pass over his lips. He could hear his wife murmuring softly to their son, her words were lost upon his ears but the child quieted finally when her breast was brought to his lips and he feasted hungrily.

He could hear the soft murmur of women's voices behind him, the suckling noises that his son made while enjoying his first meal. He could not yet bring himself to turn and enter the room. He longed to go to his wife and embrace her, to hold his son in his arms like any proud father and look upon him for the first time. But he couldn't move from his position, frozen in the doorway, looking out at the world beyond which held dangers innumerable for his family.

Against the doorway, he was no more than another shadow that lingered on the edges of the living world. He leaned against the door frame, his lanky frame filled with tension, every nerve on edge, every muscle coiled and prepared to spring at the slightest sign of danger. The smoke curled from his lips, over the creases in his weathered face, past the piercing green eyes that now studied the darkness beyond him. He was a man who had stared death in the face and managed to walk away, a man who had come to terms with his old fears, but was constantly discovering new ones to deal with.

The fear that grew within him now, the fear that blotted out any hope or joy he might have felt at the moment of his sons birth, was like a cloud over the moon. It extinguished all light in his heart, filling him with darkness.

A soft touch on his arm brought him out of his reverie. He extinguished the cigarette beneath the heel of his boot and turned to face the woman behind him. She smiled at him, the warmth in her eyes betraying none of the cold blood that he knew ran in her veins. As much as he disliked her actions at times, he knew that she was one of the few people he could trust with his life.

She stood before him, gentle and filled with love. Her dark hair floated around her face, he could see her exhaustion. She alone had aided his wife in these long hours of labor and he was grateful to her for that. Her dark eyes studied him carefully as she held out the infant who was nestled in her arms. His son's eyes were closed against the brightness of the light, against the darkness of the night. Staring down at the child, he felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest. A sense of joy that longed to sweep through him was held back by the knowledge he had of this child's future.

The woman offered his son to him and hesitantly, he took the child into his arms. The baby made a soft noise and he felt love sweep over him. A fierce protectiveness overtook him and he took a step back from the woman before him.

Your son needs a name, she told him. She could see how he stepped away from her, still wary of her even after all this time, after all they had been through together.

I should wait for Marie to wake, he nodded toward his wife who had finally given into her exhaustion and lay sleeping peacefully on the bed on the far end of the room.

She studied him carefully, those dark eyes measuring him on a balance that he was all too familiar with. He had been judged against his father and his ancestors his entire life, he would not burden his son with the same judgment.

she spoke seriously now. All warmth had gone out of her eyes, she was once more the woman who had killed dear friends, allies, in order to escape the war that had been brewing within their group. You know what must be done.

He swallowed hard and turned his eyes away from her, looking back down to his son. The infant curled closer to his chest, resting his head in the crook of his arm and resting peacefully. He could not help but love this child with an intensity he had never known. He loved him all the more, knowing that he would someday lose him.

I know, William nodded slowly, never taking his eyes from the face of his son. I just wish that there were another way.We both know that this is the only way, there was an air of authority in her voice that he had grown accustomed to when they had simply been allies, coworkers, even friends. He had followed her to the ends of the world, trusting her to do what was right. In the end, she had revealed a nature that he had never known, a side to herself that was darker and deadlier than he had ever suspected.

But he knew that same darkness was also in his heart. He was all too aware of the despicable things he had done on his way out, all to save himself, to save his wife, and to ensure that his son would be born into freedom.

This child is our only hope, William. You and I both know the truth. It is time for you to play your part in ensuring that he fulfills his destiny. Her dark eyes sparkled with a power that William himself knew all too well, a spark of knowledge that had been gained through unspeakable means.

And what about you? William looked back to her, the full force of his own power meeting head on with hers. What will you do to fulfill the prophecies, Irina? How many more lives will be lost in order to achieve these goals that we have fought for? He shook his head, anger rising like fire through the dry timber. I never wanted it to come to this.

Irina Derevko stood still beneath the force of his anger. The man who stood before her was not the follower she had been. He was their leader, in his heart, in his blood. He had followed the higher calling and she had followed him willingly. They had worked side by side, saved each other's lives, taught each other the secrets that only they knew. She had been a teacher to him in many ways, but he was the one who held the real power. They both knew that, they always had, but it had never seemed like an issue until now.

It has come to this, nonetheless, Irina's eyes darkened until they were nearly black. William could feel the power that emanated from her, it was all too evident to his heightened senses. If you do not do what must be done, then I will. William recoiled violently from her, aware of the threat in her words. He held his child tighter to his chest, the sudden movement startled the infant into wakefulness. His son let out another cry that split the night air once more. William looked down at his son, horrified at causing his son any distress. The first time the child who would become Michael Vaughn looked at his father, he cried. The child's eyes were open and staring right into his as he looked down. William saw the future in his son's eyes and instead of the fear growing, he was calm. What he saw there instantly soothed his anger and stirred his fears once more. He knew what he must do.

William's son had his eyes, the verdant green of the forest that stared up at him with an innocence that William himself had lost a long time ago. He shuddered to think of his son losing that innocence, that purity, before he was old enough to understand.

he whispered. At the sound of the name, the child quieted in his arms. His son stared up at him with wonder in his tiny green eyes and William smiled for the first time.

You will need to change his name before you reach America, Irina informed him. You will all need new identities, a slight grimace passed over Irina's face. The name of Rambaldi may not be very well known in the United States, but those who do know it will not be the kind of people you would want to meet. Irina's tone was deadly. Ironically, William mused, she was probably the kind of person he would want to avoid from here on out.

William nodded in agreement, I know, he sighed softly and stroked the soft tuft of hair on his son's head. It has been my family name for so long... I feel like I am betraying the promise I made my own father years ago. To protect the work that has been passed down through the generations, to honor the genius of a man who has been dead for centuries. William studied Vaughn intently, as if searching for some answers in his son's innocence.

You are still protecting Rambaldi's legacy, Irina assured him. Even more than that, your son is Rambaldi's legacy. He is the one who will set these events into motion. It is your son now, that you must protect, in order to fulfill your own promises to your father, to yourself, to Marie, to the Order... William's gaze turned on her sharply at the mention of the Order that they had both left behind. Irina did not flinch away from his gaze, merely finished her statement softly.

You are a Rambaldi, William, the pronouncement was nothing new to William's ears. The fact that he was a Rambaldi had been drilled into his head his entire life. All his life, he had been told that he was descended from one of the greatest men in history and that he had a task to protect his family's name, his heritage.

And now here he stood, the Order that he had been born into was split apart, blood had been shed on every side, lives had been lost, war had begun. And instead of standing up and fighting as he always believed he would, he was running and hiding. He was changing his name, changing his heritage, all to ensure that Rambaldi's ultimate goal be achieved.

William shook his head, I am a Rambaldi no longer, Irina. He met her gaze one last time, all too aware that they had set things into motion that could never be undone.

Irina only nodded, aware that she was the catalyst of this event, as she would become the catalyst of so much else over the next thirty years.

I will return to the Order and wipe all records of you and your family, Irina informed him. William had been well aware of this part of the plan, but it still pained him to hear it. It was true that his family had been hidden from the outside world for centuries by their beloved Order who had protected them fiercely. Now, the Order that he had known was gone, and in years to come, others would come to take up the name of Rambaldi for their own personal crusades.

No one will ever know we even existed, William whispered. He could see it happening already, he knew what Irina was capable of. He knew that she would not only destroy the written records, she would destroy any living person who knew of the heir of Rambaldi. Every one, save herself.

So it begins, she whispered. Gathering up her belongings, Irina cast one last lingering look at young Vaughn, who was sleeping peacefully in his father's protective embrace.

Be well, William, Irina touched the child's head gently and whispered, We will meet again.

As she faded into the darkness of the night beyond, William could not help but wonder who Irina's final words were meant for. Himself, or his son. William Rambaldi closed the door behind her and turned away from the life he had always known.

By the time they reached America, he had become William Vaughn and his son's first name had replaced that of their true heritage. To all of his former followers, the line of Rambaldi had been ended. William knew better.

He alone, knew the true nature of the storm that was to come.

-


	2. Chapter One: Chosen

-

Chapter One:

Chosen

-

He was a child when the visions first came him. He would awake late in the night after horrible dreams, his father would usually be in the doorway in seconds. He alone had the words that that could soothe his young son's fears.

As the boy grew older, he began to have the dreams less frequently, but one haunted him. A recurring nightmare that he saw in his waking world, the images began to constantly flash unbidden in his mind.

In the mind of the young boy, he saw the sun glowing red as it fell to the earth. The red orb hovered over his head, and when it dissolved upon him it was in a flood of water, not fire. The tide raced for him, overtaking the land, swallowing him whole.

The boy who would become Michael Vaughn had never known the power of these dreams. He never suspected that they would one day come true.

-

In the deep depths of the mountain, the winds of change were stirring. From amidst crumbling walls where ancient texts lie waiting to tell their truths. The world was stirring.

Vaughn dreamed of the change coming, he could feel it in his blood. The visions, half realized, hovered before his waking eyes. He longed to make the change a good one.

He dreamed of Sydney, odd dreams where he knew her but she had a different face, a different life. Her hair was a different color, her eyes a different shape, her voice softer but she was his chosen one. He was unsure of what in his blood had inherently chosen her, but he knew more every day that she was the one he had been born to find.

That knowledge terrified him as much as it thrilled him. There was too much he did not know about his own life, he had fought the truth as long as he had known. But he could not fight it any longer.

-

He rose to consciousness slowly, swimming up once more from beneath the currents of his nightmares. His mind was woozy, as if drugged, the pain that he expected to feel rush upon him with intensity instead crept up on him slowly, halted by something in his blood that calmed his mind.

His eyes opened slowly, blurring in and out of focus until they settled on the white stone of the ceiling. He blinked in confusion, stone? Where the hell was he?

He struggled to sit up but he could not move, from the weight on his body it felt as though he had been restrained. An alarm began to sound deep in Vaughn's mind and he lifted his head with great effort in attempt to survey his surroundings.

It appeared that he was in some sort of medical center, but where, he had no idea. It was not a hospital, and judging from the restraints on his wrists, he was not in friendly hands.

Humming medical equipment surrounded him, a long iv pierced the tender flesh of his wrist, glowing with an odd green substance. He felt a cold wave of fear wash over him as his mind struggled to repiece the circumstances that had led him here.

He had been with Sydney, the warmth of her memory filled him with peace for a moment as her face came into his mind. The way her dark hair had curled softly around her face, the glint of his ring on her finger as she had run her fingers through his hair. The depth of the love he felt for her was the one true thing in his life.

"_Have I told you that I love you?"_ The memory was coming back to him now, the way he had smiled at her softly as she had asked that question...

"_Yeah," the softness of his tone was to reassure her that he never doubted that fact. A smirk passed over his face as he looked away from her however and he commented, "But go ahead and tell me again."_

"_I love you," Sydney reached out to run her fingers through his hair once more and Vaughn let out a long breath. "I love you too," he said._

"_I know," she smiled, "Say it again."_

_Vaughn had looked at her, something dark and unfamiliar passed over his heart like a shadow. He recalled Irina's words to him, the secret that she had spoken of that had haunted him for years. He had never known how to tell her._

"_I love you Syd," he looked at her with a suddenly solemn expression. "That's why I need to tell you something... Just so there are no secrets between us."_

"_Okay...whatever it is I can handle it. Just don't tell me you're a bad guy." She smiled at the lighthearted comment. Vaughn did not respond, his eyes flickered toward her as he contemplated the many bad guys they had encountered that had to do with Rambaldi. A wave of guilt swept through him, he could not bring himself to meet her gaze. His silence sent a chill down her spine. Her fingers halted on the curve of his ear that she had been softly stroking. "You're not a bad guy are you?"_

"_That depends on who you ask."_

_Sydney took her hand away, alarm rising up within her. "Vaughn?"_

"_It's from a long time ago, before we met," he grimaced. "Actually, its the reason we met. It's no accident that I was the one you came to when you walked into the CIA with your story about SD-6." He shuddered inwardly at the memory of the dark events that had sent him into her life. He didn't know how to tell her, why was he telling her now? _

"_Wait... I don't understand." A dark fear was rising in Sydney's heart, a growing panic took hold of her. "Vaughn, what are you telling me?" The fear in her voice broke his heart, the knowledge of how he was about to break hers killed him. He only hoped that she could forgive him for this lie. Unbidden the words came to his lips, the words he had never wanted to tell her._

"_Well for starters, my name isn't Michael Vaughn."_

_Sydney stared at him in shock, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to breathe. The moment hung suspended in time as Vaughn, the man she had always known as Michael Vaughn, her guardian angel, her best friend, her lover, looked at her with dark eyes. She stared at him with the sudden knowledge that he was a stranger to her and she had never suspected a thing._

_His eyes never left her, they were so familiar to her, so beloved, and yet he sat there telling her that he was not who he knew him to be. There was an odd expression on his face, as if he were pleading with her to understand. As if he had been trying to understand the same thing for a long time._

_His lips parted as if to speak again, perhaps to explain the mind bending puzzle of his last statement. But he never had a chance. Neither of them saw the other car coming until it was too late._

-

Vaughn remembered the scream of metal upon impact. The way the world had exploded in upon him, he had the oddest memory of the other car physically slamming into his body. Pain had exploded in him, but that memory didn't make sense to Vaughn's fuzzy mind. If that had actually occurred, he would be dead at this moment.

His mind turned to Sydney, he remembered turning his body toward the other car, struggling to shield her from the impact. But he had no memory of what had become of her, or how he had ended up in this strange place. Was she here somewhere too? It gave Vaughn a shred of hope to think that Sydney might still be alive, but he still had no idea who had taken him to this place or why.

Taking a deep breath, Vaughn struggled to clear his mind and thick logically, but there was something impeding him. There was a weight in his mind, an unknown path that seemed unable to open before him. As his eyes closed, they lingered on the green liquid in the tube connected to his arm. Before his mind fell into darkness, he struggled to think of what it brought to mind. A name echoed in his consciousness before fading into darkness.

Rambaldi.

They had finally found him.

-

The first thing that Sydney became aware of was the pain. It coursed like fire through her body, inflaming her senses. She stilled her movements, the instinct of her training took over her mind, all rational thought melted away beneath that instinct. She struggled to locate the source of the pain, it seemed to radiate all through her body but she knew that there was a central area of her body where it was located. Moving her limbs gingerly, she felt the fire course through her left arm and she gasped aloud at the shock that struck her brain.

Instantly something washed through her bloodstream, calming her inflamed nervous system and soothing her racing mind. Sydney's eyes snapped open, her mind clear and alert, resisting the calming effects of the drug that coursed through her system.

She found herself in a room with white walls, there was no door to be seen, no opening anywhere. Sydney gritted her teeth and took in her surroundings, she too was attached to a complex system of medical equipment, tubes looping around her wrists filled with the same green fluid that had been in Vaughn's. Sydney narrowed her eyes, her mind accepting each detail and struggling to sort through what it meant. She did not like the look of the substance currently being injected into her bloodstream and she wondered if she could remove the IV without setting off an alarm.

She had no memory of what had happened in the crash. The last thing she remembered was Vaughn's eyes looking into hers, dark and serious. A chill swept over her flesh at the memory, his lips were moving in her mind but she could not hear his words.

Looking down at herself, she examined her hands, relieved to see the ring he had given her glinting on her finger. The cool metal against her flesh soothed her as she brought her hands together, fighting against the restraints on her arms. She pulled on them with all of her strength, struggling to break the bonds but she could not.

With a muttered curse, Sydney ceased her struggling. She was growing weak far too quickly, her mind was not clearing as it should be. She could not shake herself of this odd sensation that she was quickly falling down a deep well, silence all around her. She knew not what lay at the bottom.

Her eyes grew dark with the vision, it hovered before her and when she closed her eyes, the sight only grew clearer. She was falling, deep, down into the darkness.

_The house of her childhood rose up around her, seeming so much larger than life in her eyes. She was a child again, looking up at her mother, dark and beautiful against the light of the windowpane. Laura was speaking to someone over the phone in a hushed tone. She was not aware of Sydney's presence, so great was her agitation. Sydney could see anxiety written in every line of her mother's body, the way she held herself too stiffly erect, as if struggling to stay standing._

"_I understand that William," Laura was saying. Sydney was startled to hear her mother's voice so choked with emotion. A cold fear crept over the young Sydney Bristow and she studied her mother at this moment, struggling to memorize everything about her. It was as if she knew in one terrible moment, that she might never see the woman before her again._

"_There is no other way," Laura's voice was clearer now, as if she had reached some vital decision. "He must be protected as much as Sydney."_

_Sydney felt the fear clutch her heart, ice spreading through her chest as she struggled to breathe. What was her mother talking about? Sydney clutched the leg of the table she had concealed herself beneath and squeezed hard. She could see her knuckles turning white, felt her mind clearing as she focused on the sensation of strength in her veins. She wanted to go to her mother and plead with her that she did not need to be protected. She wanted to protect her mother from whatever was troubling her. She felt the kind of blind devotion to this woman that only a child can feel toward a parent. No harm must come to her, Sydney would not be able to bear it._

_Laura shook her head against whatever the man on the other end was saying. "It has all been arranged. The remnants of the Order are scattered but they do not have the power that they desire to achieve without you, without him. Without the final prophet, they have no direction in which to turn."_

_Sydney stared at her mother with new eyes, the woman before her was slowly becoming unrecognizable. Her mind was working at the puzzle of Laura's words, trying to fit them together and puzzle out the meaning. _

"_This is hard on both of us, William," Laura was crying now. Sydney could see the reflection of her tears on the glass of the windowpane. "But it is what must be done."_

Sydney felt her body stretching, her mind expanding beyond the small form in which it was contained. A bright light swept through her mind and she felt herself traveling up out of her body, out of the memory in the depths of her mind and into the present.

She awoke with a start, her senses coming around, suddenly aware to another presence in the room. She could physically feel the energy of the man, she was certain it was a man. For a moment her heart caught and she opened her eyes to see Vaughn standing before her.

Her vision shifted and blurred, he was going in and out of focus. When her sight cleared, she saw the it was not Vaughn at all, but a man of similar height and coloring, but he was much older. But the resemblance struck her as far too uncanny for her to discard.

"You..." Sydney breathed slowly as she struggled to sit up. He was gazing upon her with an odd expression, one of regret and an odd sense of wonder. She was further confused by his movements as he moved to loosen her wrist restraints.

"I apologize for the discomfort," he spoke in a smooth voice, his accent was hard to place but it was familiar to Sydney all the same.

"Who are you?" The question was the obvious one, the one Sydney feared she knew the answer to already. The man met her gaze, unflinching, and when she saw the green depths of his eyes, she already knew the answer.

"Sydney," the man spoke as if he knew her. "In only a short amount of time, I will most likely become the man you hate most in the world. Even more than Arvin Sloane perhaps," he said this with a sad smile on his face. Sydney felt an immense dread fill her mind, the same that had infused her being before she had fought her sister. The man nodded as if he knew all too well what she was feeling.

"That fear," he whispered to her, picking her thoughts straight from her mind. "That fear you are feeling is prophecy unfolding," he looked at her but his eyes were distant, seeing things in her that she could not. An intense anger rose up in Sydney, burning through the icy fear that clawed at her heart. She could feel the loose grips on her wrist falling away as she worked them beneath his distant gaze. A power was rushing up from within the core of her, filling her with the wild adrenaline needed to push herself out of the bed, tearing her bonds completely free.

Twisting her body around, Sydney grabbed him and immobilized him in one swift movement. Throwing her weight against him, she pinned him to the floor and grit her teeth with the pain that ripped through her own body at the movement. "Who the hell are you?" The question was a cry that was ripped from her as he struggled beneath her grip. The haze of Sydney's mind was gone now, replaced by a clarity, a single minded focus. She spoke the question that she needed to have answered. The question that might reveal the truth of him.

"Where is Vaughn?" The question was asked in a clear and cold voice, indicating that she expected an answer and now. As she had predicted, he ceased his struggling at the name she spoke aloud. His head slumped slightly and he turned his face to her.

"Vaughn..." he spoke not to respond to her, but merely to speak the name aloud, there was a warmth in his voice as he spoke. "He is alive."

"Is he here?" Sydney suddenly wanted nothing more than to see Vaughn, make sure he was okay, and figure out how to get the hell out of this latest trap they had been snared in.

The man tensed under grip, she knew that he was a dangerous man, it was then that she saw the tattoo on his hand. She cursed herself for not seeing it earlier but she was not surprised that her suspicions had been confirmed.

"I can bring you to him, but you have to work with me here. Believe it or not, I don't mean you any harm."

Sydney scoffed at his words and held up the iv with the green fluid inside, it was still attached to her arm, the fluid pulsing into her veins. She ripped it out with a growl of rage, and immediately felt strength drain from her limbs. The shock of the loss of power hit her like a slap to the face and as soon as her grip loosened, the man was free of her. He twisted free of her grasp, turning the tables on her and gripping her wrists. She stared at him in shock.

"What are you doing to me?" Sydney gasped. He looked at her with a coldness in his green eyes and for a moment his face blurred and she saw Vaughn once more. Driving the car, he had that same icy look in his eyes. It chilled her to the bone.

"I am trying to help you, Sydney," he shook his head and released his grip on her. She made no move to attack him again and once he saw that, he stepped back.

"If I were you," he said in a clear voice, indicating he saw no other option for her. "I would put that I. back in. You'll feel much better..." his eyes darkened as he glanced down at the green tube. "And maybe you'll be able to see clearer."

Sydney watched him, eyes dark with suspicion. She sensed that he knew her anger, her malice toward him but it did not seem to disturb him in the slightest way. The cold and precise casualness with which he treated her was bizarre, as if he knew all about her but truly knew nothing of her nature. He looked upon her the way a holy man would look upon a sacred relic, treating her gently and with an odd reverence, an odd fervor burned in his eyes that betrayed the coldness of his stance over her, arms folded. He looked expectant, waiting for her to simply place the IV back into her arm of her own free will, as if he knew she would do it even though she had no such intention. She felt suddenly that in his eyes, she was not Sydney Bristow, but she was something much larger and fantastic, something beyond herself.

"Why have you brought me here?" She asked, she could think of nothing else but to keep him talking, in the attempt to glean some real information from him.

"I brought you here because if I had not done so, you would have died. You and Vaughn both would have died and everything would have been for nothing." He spoke simply and honestly, Sydney could see no sign of a lie but that did not mean she would trust him.

"Well if you're trying to help me, you can let me go." Sydney knew the words would be lost on him. She knew he would not let her go that easily.

"Go?" He actually appeared puzzled. "Go where? Back to your life as a spy? Chasing terrorists around the world in the hope that you might actually change it?" He shook his head, "You cannot change evil, it mutates and is constantly taking new form. It destroys everything that was once good and pure and forces it to become an extension of its own innate darkness."

Sydney stared at him, it seemed that his words had a ring of power to them, as if they were prophecy instead of the ranting of what seemed a man who had gone slightly mad. She forced herself to look at him coldly, refusing to believe in the fervor of truth in his voice.

"Why go back when you can do so much more, Sydney?" He was looking at her with that burning intensity again. "Sydney," he touched her hand and she felt a chill wash over her again at how like Vaughn that movement was in a small way.

"You have no idea the kind of power that lies within you, Sydney." His fingers trembled on her hand as if he was torn between running from her or embracing her. She moved her hand away from him, moved her entire body away from him, willing her legs to move across the room despite the weakness in her limbs.

"What you are a part of now, is something so much bigger than you could have ever imagined. The ancient power that lies in my blood called to you, Sydney. It found you long ago and recognized you as the chosen one."

"Your blood?" Sydney saw the riddles in which he spoke and what chilled her the most was the fact that she saw through these puzzles, she could see the truth behind his words, the truth that she did not want to face.

"My blood," he nodded slowly and those familiar green eyes met hers and she knew his next words before he even spoke them. "Vaughn's blood, filled with an ancient power that even he is not fully aware of yet."

Sydney felt the haze sweeping her mind again as she considered the implications of his words. She longed for a clear head, to puzzle out the lie in his words. Her gaze flickered toward the green IV that was now clear across the room, she would not put it back into her own skin willingly. She would not be a part of this.

"You already are a part of this, Sydney." He responded to the thoughts that she had not voiced aloud and she stared at him, unable to believe that he had just read her mind.

"This ancient power you're speaking of," Sydney's gaze fell to the dark mark on his hand, she knew what it meant. She had to force the words from her, unwilling to voice aloud the truth that they both knew.

"Rambaldi was just a man," she whispered. "A mortal man, a scientist. He contained no great and lasting power aside from the madmen that have chased his inventions around the world."

"Rambaldi," he spoke the name with the same sort of reverence as he spoke hers. "Rambaldi is a prophet," his eyes darkened and suddenly Sydney could feel the power emanating from him in waves. The room seemed to grow a bit darker, the bright white stone dimmed to gray. His voice took on a tone of utter command, filling the room, growing louder in her ringing ears.

"There is a prophet born to every generation of Rambaldi, as his bloodline continued to trickle down throughout the years. Hidden away beneath other names and identities, the sons and daughters of Rambaldi continued his work for centuries. Milo was one of these prophets."

Sydney was stung by his words, she clutched her head in her hands and struggled to clear her mind, to no avail. "One?" She gasped, a sudden pain piercing her skull.

The room brightened again suddenly, the darkness that had crowded around William like a thousand shadows, clawing at the light, was gone. He was at her side, touching her elbow gently, almost in a loving, paternal way as he guided her back to the bed. He looked almost ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to frighten you." He spoke in that smooth, cultured voice once more. She felt her dizziness subside as he pressed a hand to her head. The pain passed, the heat faded and she found herself staring up at him in complete shock. She had no idea what to think.

"How many have there been?" Sydney asked, his words were still echoing in her brain. "If Rambaldi was not even the first?"

"There have been many, but there will be only one final prophet."

"The final prophet," Her mother's words of so long ago echoed in her ears and suddenly Sydney felt a thousand tiny pieces of her life fall into place. The puzzled snapped together, the picture was complete and it was terrifying.

"You see, Sydney. You are beginning to understand. Everything that has happened in your life, has been foreseen long before you were born. That knowledge is inherent within you, you are only just beginning to understand that it is there."

"No," she whispered. "I cannot believe it."

He shook his head sadly and smiled, it was an odd contrast, as if he was at war with himself. "In truth, it does not matter what you believe. You do not have to believe in fate to be caught up in it."

Sydney stared at him, the confident way he spoke about it belied a complete understanding of the subject of Rambaldi that she had always sought. She knew suddenly that this man might have the answer to many of the questions that had plagued her for years. Why had she been chosen and by who? How many of her decisions had been secretly shaped by others behind the scenes?

"I have these answers, Sydney." He spoke gently and for a moment she was startled, wondering if she had spoken aloud but she knew she had not. It was not possible for him to be able to read her mind, something in her found it unbelievable even after all she had seen.

The darkness of her anger filled her suddenly, she falling into her fighting stance, every muscles tensed and prepared for combat. Rage filled her and with it came a power, more intense than adrenaline, something she could control and focus.

Weariness fell away from her water from oil, sliding off until all that remained was pure energy. How she hated the people who had tried to control her life, the CIA when they had attempted to hold her prisoner based on ancient prophecies no one understood. She herself did not understand them and that only increased her anger.

William became aware suddenly of Sydney's sudden gathering of strength, he could feel it flowing to her in waves. In a single moment, William knew a sudden terror. She was stronger than him in every way, but she was not aware of it. He had not counted on this, she could kill him so easily and he could not stop her if she was truly intent on it.

"If you kill me, Sydney, you are destroying the truth." It was all he could think to say, all he could do to win her over. "You must believe that I am on your side," he was frantic for her to believe him, Sydney could see it.

She watched him warily, studying him the way a predator studies its prey. He shivered under the gaze, beneath the force of her power. He felt a tingle on his mind and with a gasp he realized that she was attempting to touch his mind, know his thoughts. He wondered at how she had uncovered this power so quickly, after the small dose he had given her of the formula.

For a moment, he debated upon whether or not to open his mind to her. In that way he knew he could allow her to know the full story the way he knew it, but it might destroy her, all the history coming alive to her at once in its bloody and fiery truth. She might also destroy him, with the untapped power in her blood she could do it so easily and never know.

"Sydney," he spoke her name gently and for a moment she heard Vaughn's voice. She wondered if he was doing that on purpose, he knew how much it affected her. He knew that she was in love with Vaughn, in love with his son.

"William," she spoke his name suddenly and regarded him calmly. "Let's not play games." Her eyes darkened upon his face and he felt a chill wash over him. She reminded him so much of Irina at that moment that it was uncanny.

"You have two choices, to take me to Vaughn and allow us leave together or to tell me the secrets between the truth and the lies. I want answers and if you will not give them to me, I will find out for myself and I will kill you if you stand in my way."

William looked upon her, secretly marveling at her very presence. She was the Chosen One, he could feel it. Standing within her presence was like standing at a place of worship but at the same time he could see how very human she was. When she truly became aware of her own power, then she would be a sight to behold. It had been his life's work to see that moment come to fruition, along with the final prophecy and its fulfillment. He had always known that he was not the final prophet.

He suddenly became very aware of his son's presence within the building. Vaughn was only a few floors above Sydney's room, his energy sparkled in William's mind with warmth. He could reach out and touch him with his mind if he chose, perhaps he would see the visions that would surely be infusing Vaughn's mind at that moment.

He knew bringing Sydney and Vaughn together at this moment in time was a dangerous combination, each one of them possessed great power but together they were a force that could overwhelm any obstacle. William knew that, he had predicted it, but if they turned on him before they knew the truth, everything could still be lost.

Yet he could see the humanity in Sydney so clearly at that moment, he could see her fear for Vaughn and her love for him and some hidden confusion that she could not seem to figure out. She needed to see him and he had the feeling he could not stop her knocking him out and searching for him on her own.

"All right," he spoke in crisp tones as if he had no doubts at all about his decision. "I will take you to him. He held out his arm to her and she looked at him in slight consternation. Then she felt the strength draining from her as her anger faded and her muscles weakened. Gratefully, she took his arm and held herself upright.

"Thank you," Sydney could not help but murmur softly. Exhaustion was sweeping over her again but she would not let it overwhelm her. She needed to see Vaughn, she needed to understand the truth. Who was he? Who were they both?

"All in due time, Sydney." William murmured a soft response to her unspoken questions and patted her hand like a father touches daughter. "You will understand soon enough."

--


	3. Chapter Two: The Tidal Wave

--

Chapter Two:

A Tidal Wave

--

Sydney had not prepared herself for the sight of Vaughn like this.

The thought of William leading her to his son's corpse stopped Sydney cold. She could not shake the image of Vaughn lying still and cold. William felt her sudden hesitation, sensed the whirlwind of her thoughts and touched her hand gently.

Following William along bright white corridors, the cold of stone seeping into her flesh, she had pictured a thousand ways to find him. She was terrified of the sight of his broken body, it seemed to hover before her eyes as if she had seen it lying on the cold ground in a brief moment of consciousness. It fluttered through her mind, fleeting as a dream but powerful enough for reality. The other car had hit his side full force, she did not know if she would even truly find him alive.

"He is going to be okay, Sydney. You both are," The sea of his eyes caught her in their depths and held her. She could not figure him out, could not determine what it was exactly he felt towards her. He looked at her sometimes as if gazing upon an idol and that touch of worship terrified her to her very core.

William turned his gaze from her and looked before him at the blank stretch of white stone that composed the wall. Sydney frowned and followed his movement as he touched a hidden panel in the stone, and a door slid open before them. It was as if a portal into another world had opened before her. Through the doorway, she could see Vaughn on the other side. A long sigh of relief fell from Sydney's lips as she stepped through the doorway, crossing the room in long strides to reach his bedside.

She stopped short at his bedside, stunned by what she saw. Vaughn lie unconscious in the bed before her, several tubes of the same green substance flowed into his veins that had flowed into hers only a short time ago.

What shocked her, was the complete and utter lack of any damage to his body, his skin was not even bruised. Sydney looked down at herself with a frown, her bruises were not not visible but she could feel them, but she herself had also not sustained any damage during the accident. It was hard to fathom, she had imagined that her body was shielded from too much impact by Vaughn's and that he would be in a terrible state.

The man laying before her however, looked exactly like the man she woke up beside every morning. She reached out with trembling fingers and touched his face, unmarked by any bruises, it even seemed that several scars which had previously marked him had faded somewhat. Sydney could not fathom what kind of power could heal him so utterly.

"He was in a much worse state than you," William spoke softly from behind her, as if hesitant to intrude upon her private moment. Sydney could see him out of the corner of her eye, but her gaze did not flicker from Vaughn as she carefully filed every detail about him. She knew him inside and out, had seen him in a hospital bed close to death far too many times for her to count. She knew the most intimate details of his body, she could tell when he was close to death.

He was breathing normally however, his heart rate seemed normal beneath her fingertips, he stirred slightly when she gripped his hand and squeezed it in return. She heard him whisper her name though his lips did not move. The whisper echoed in her mind, fading into the darkness.

"How is he even alive?" Sydney whispered, now that she had realized how close they had come to death she could not fathom how they had survived.

"It was a struggle to bring him back," William admitted. His voice shook and Sydney realized it was as hard for him to imagine Vaughn's death as it was for her.

Sydney forced her eyes away from Vaughn's still form and looked at his father. William was standing closer now, his eyes fixed on his son. Sydney could see the deep sorrow in his eyes and the love for a son he had never truly known.

"The left side of his skull was crushed almost beyond repair," William spoke slowly, whether he was unwilling to relive those moments or unwilling to relate them to her, she was not sure. It could have been both.

"His arm and both legs were broken, his spine was fractured. I had to delve into his body, reconstruct the pieces and put them back together. It took all of my strength, all of my power and much of his."

Sydney stared at him, aghast. "I don't understand," she hated that fact.

William's eyes flickered to her from Vaughn and he softened, darkness fading from him. "It is hard to understand, and even harder to explain. You can only truly know the power if you have it. You will learn in time how to recognize it and control it, Sydney."

The ideas forming in her head were not her usually logical path of thought. She was not one for the supernatural or for new age mysticism. But she had felt a power within herself that she could not recognize. She could not deny that any longer.

"You healed him?" She did not stumble over her words and he shrugged.

"Yes, I did heal him, but he also helped heal himself. The power that lies within his blood reached out and met mine and in a way, he helped to save himself." William studied her. "I wonder if anyone ever truly noticed how quickly Vaughn has always healed. How many times has he come to the edge of death and recovered within moments of waking? How many times has he leapt from his hospital bed and rushed back out into action?"

The memories of the dozens of times this had occurred in their time together rushed over Sydney. She looked down at her lover with this new knowledge in her mind and marveled at the mysteries inside of him.

William nodded as if she had answered his question, "Vaughn has the power in his blood to heal rapidly. His bloodline has been changed over the centuries, mutated in a powerful way."

"And you're telling me that his bloodline, your bloodline, is Rambaldi's bloodline?" The thought of it was still beyond her grasp, Rambaldi had always been the prophet that had driven her near insanity with his foretelling. He had been but a single man, never before had he been the one man that she loved.

"Yes," William was so confident in his honesty, so genuine. "The history is long and it will be explained in due time but you must believe what I am telling you, Sydney. It is vitally important that you understand." He gripped the rail on the edge of the bed and stared down at Vaughn who still appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The green glow of the tubes illuminated his skin with an unearthly glow. How would he react to this new knowledge when he awoke? She still did not know how to react to it herself.

A chill washed over Sydney as she considered the last few moments before the accident. He had been struggling to tell her something vitally important... Had he known? Had he always known and never told her?

"What the hell are you pumping into him?" Sydney's gaze found the tubes quickly, her fingers closing over the smooth plastic surface of one. She was prepared to rip it out of his flesh but something in her warred against that instinct.

"It is a formula that has been evolving over centuries. It is all that was keeping him alive in the beginning, now it is merely strengthening him, his body and his mind."

"And this power inside him," and inside of herself. She could not yet voice that aloud but they both knew it was there. "How is this affecting that?"

William's eyes glittered suddenly with an edge of intensity, "The formula strengthens it. It was the first strain of this formula that changed the blood of Rambaldi into something much more powerful." He was holding so much back, she could tell. He wanted to spill the information out into the open air, but he was still holding it in.

"Milo Rambaldi was crucified for claiming that science would one day allow us to know God." The words that Sydney had first heard come so coldly from Arvin Sloane so many years earlier were recited word for word by William and for the first time it struck Sydney how much William's intensity for Rambaldi reminded her of Sloane.

"Milo made one crucial mistake. He came into the open with his discoveries, after years of the Order remaining hidden and out of sight. The Order of Rambaldi once had the power to rival the Catholic Church and in his way, Milo was challenging religious order with our ancient beliefs. You see, in what better way can we find God than in our own human power?" Once again he appeared as the holy man, speaking with a touch of reverence about his own ancestors. Sydney wondered at the many faces of the man before her and which one might be the true one.

Sydney frowned, "But you said the formula mutated the blood."

William let out a long sigh and raked his fingers through his dark hair in agitation. He should not be explaining so much so soon but he could not help but reveal to her what she wanted to know. The power she held over him was immense and she had no idea she was the one in control.

"It is a natural mutation, an evolution of consciousness. Scientists in today's day and age claim that we only use ten percent of our brain for each task that we perform during the day. But imagine the ability to use more, to be able to actively control your own mind and that dormant power that lies within all human subconscious." William shook his head, frustrated by his own words.

"I don't know if I can explain it very well. I myself have lived with it for so long that I began to take it for granted a long time ago." His hands sketched loosely in the air as he spoke, "Imagine a great energy field that makes up all living things. Every living thing gives off energy, utilizes it as they will. If you could discover the way to tap into this energy in your mind and control it, so much could be accomplished that is beyond the spectrum of belief." William took a deep breath, his shadow against the white stone lengthened his form.

As Sydney watched him, she could feel the power of the man. She knew there was so much she could learn from him, but the temptation of that promise terrified her. The seduction of the power of which he spoke was not one she was comfortable with.

"You could look into someone's body and heal sickness or injury with the force of your own will as I did with Vaughn. You could develop technology that is unheard of and won't be invented for hundreds of years, as Milo did. You could look past the veil of time and see the currents of the past and the future and how they collide, as every Rambaldi prophet has done for centuries."

Sydney's mind was reeling with the implications. If he was speaking the truth, this technology could revolutionize the world for all time. It could also destroy it. She could see the double edge of the blade very clearly and suddenly she understood why the Order of Rambaldi had worked in secret for so many years. She also understood why so many evil people wanted to use it for their own personal use.

"I am not a scientist," Sydney told him. Briefly, she wondered if Marshall would be able to make sense of this. "I find it hard to trust someone who would inject an unknown substance into my body when I had no choice in the matter." The violence in her voice startled even her and he flinched visibly under the force of her anger.

"No one had a choice in the matter, Sydney. There are some things that we cannot control." William spoke as a man resigned to a fact that he could no longer deny.

"I refuse to believe that I have no choice." Sydney felt a chill wash over her and she knew what she was doing. She was shutting down on the man who tempted her with his promises of power. She saw it all as a trap, she refused to see it as fate.

William sighed again, she could see his increasing agitation as she questioned him. "It was the only thing I could do to save you both, the formula was built for the purpose of giving life and it was all I could do to save you both." He repeated himself harshly, berating himself inwardly for not foreseeing the accident that had led them both here. It was all he could do to recover them in time, save them from a fate that had not been meant for them.

Sydney looked at him coldly, still untrusting of him, of his warmth and the way his answers came so easily. He wanted her to understand but knew she could not, not yet. Her mother's words haunted her, such an old memory but so newly remember that it remained fresh in her mind like a vision. William had echoed these words when she had woken.

"What does it mean to be the final prophet?" Her voice was a whisper that hung in the air between them. She squeezed Vaughn's hand as she spoke, taking strength in his presence.

William's eyes darkened suddenly and he turned away from her, looking down at his son. "I don't know," he said. "Only he can know the answer to that."

Sydney looked down at Vaughn and despite the familiar face of the man she loved lying before her, she saw a stranger. He held so many secrets inside of him that she had never even anticipated. He had always seemed an open book to her, the one honest and genuine person in her life. How long had he been lying to her?

"Does he know?" Sydney was not even sure if she spoke the words aloud, so soft was her voice. William seemed to hear her nonetheless, looking at her with dark eyes. She knew then that he would not give her any more answers until Vaughn was awake. The certainty of this knowledge washed over her as if he had delivered it directly into her mind.

"You would like to stay with him until he wakes," it was not a question on his end, merely a statement of fact that he knew to be true. Sydney nodded though he was not looking at her anymore, he was looking at Vaughn again. A strange expression passed over his face and he reached out and squeezed his son's hand. William's eyes fluttered closed and he appeared to be concentrating intently.

Sydney could feel feather light touches brushing the flesh of her fingers where they still clutched Vaughn's hand. She knew then that William was reaching out to Vaughn, looking inside of him. She wondered if she could gather her own power in such a way, to focus it and look inside the mind of her lover. She could find out all of his secrets, find the truth and the lies.

"He will wake within the hour, " William's eyes opened again and he gave a firm nod as he released Vaughn's hand. He reached out and touched his son's forehead gently, as if Vaughn were still a young boy and William was calming his nightmares. Indeed, a tension in Vaughn's face suddenly eased and he shifted beneath his father's touch like a child comforted in his sleep. He looked so young suddenly, compared to the older version of him that was so suddenly reflected in William. Sydney saw suddenly how much the two resembled one another, William did not even appear the age Sydney knew that he must be. Standing tall over his son's sleeping form, he looked more like an older brother than a father. There an unseen connection between the two of them, Sydney could sense it but she could not touch it.

"Sleep well and wake, my son," his voice was a whisper that barely reached Sydney's ears. "So much depends on you."

He drew away like a ghost, vanishing from Sydney's sight as he moved away from the bed. The door slid shut behind him and Sydney was sure that if she turned to look, she would see nothing but a bare stretch of white wall once more.

She ignored his exit, the closing of the door. As soon as his presence was gone from the room, she slowly eased herself onto the bed. Curling up around the body of her lover, she rested her head on his chest and listened to the steady drum of his heartbeat beneath the flesh.

"Who are you, Vaughn?" She whispered the question aloud and though she had been given some answers, it only forced her to ask more questions and the more questions she asked, the more disturbing the answers seemed to be.

She shivered and drew closer into his warmth, "Who are we?"

--

Vaughn was running for his life.

With every step he took he felt his limbs growing heavier. It felt as if the entire weight of the world was crushing down upon him. Behind him, the tidal wave was growing. It eclipsed the mountains in the distance, swallowed the cities whole with a flood that seemed never-ending.

The world was dark around him, the sky above had been bloodied with a tortured red. No sun shone in the heavens, the light was ugly and unnatural. The sun would shine no more on this world, forever tainted by the darkness that swept over the land.

The land was dead around him for miles, no life to be seen anywhere. The trees had grown twisted and they clawed at the bruised sky as if searching for a way to escape the dead earth. The soil beneath his feet turned to sand as he ran, and he stumbled in his flight. The land was like the ocean floor, it was transforming, adapting to the storm that was rapidly coming closer. He would be swallowed by it, lost in the darkness of the power that rapidly consumed him.

A bolt of light broke the sky so suddenly that he was blinded by its brilliance. He stumbled once more, falling to his knees in the sand as he gazed up at the beacon before him. The light stretched up from earth to the sky, a glittering shaft of pure energy.

There was a figure standing in the light, the familiar silhouette of a woman. She was stretching out her arms to him. Vaughn reached out his hand, desperate to reach her. Once he did, everything would be all right.

"Sydney!" Her name fell from his lips, a broken cry that split the stillness of the air. The only answer was the rushing roar of water behind him as the tidal wave drew closer.

Vaughn felt a power rush through his limbs, a strength that he had never known before. It washed through him, reviving him, it pulled him to his feet and swung him around to face his fear.

"No," Vaughn looked up at the wave as it curled above him, threatening to drown him in its depths. His voice was calm and steady on that single word, and he raised one hand. The power that flowed through him seemed to stretch out into eternity, a white light surrounded him, burning him with its heat. He ignored the pain, ignored his fear, focusing solely on this one task.

He raised one hand to the wave and it stopped its advance, freezing in midair. Slowly the churning waters began to calm and soon there was no sound but the humming of the power in his flesh.

His eyes cleared in the light that now shone around him. Sydney stood beside him now, one hand in his and she regarded him with grave and silent eyes. She did not speak, but she was calling him to her and he could not deny her.

Without another glance at the wave that stood frozen over his head, he dropped his hand to take her other and let out a long sigh of relief. Together, they could face anything. As long as he was with her, he knew that he was whole, he knew that he was safe.

The great weight that had crushed him had lifted and suddenly he felt himself floating high above the land, above the frozen waves. He could not see the tortured ground beneath his feet, nor the light above him as he stretched up out of the depths and back into his body. All he saw was Sydney.

--

Vaughn opened his eyes on the stark white ceiling of his room and for a long moment, he floated timelessly. There was no memory of the immediate past or present in his mind, no recognition of where he was. He floated in a void, beyond the veil of time. And everywhere he looked, to the past and the future, he saw only Sydney.

She was still there when he blinked suddenly and the world came rushing in around him. Her face was hovering before him like a vision, blurring and becoming a dream before it finally settled into reality. Her eyes opened at the same time his did, he knew it because they were suddenly looking into him, that was the only way he could describe it. The very energy of her was electrifying to his nerves, fire immediately raced through him as he looked down in the deep darkness of her eyes.

How long they lay there curled together, lost within in each other, he could not say. He was suddenly very aware of a new connection to Sydney, something incredibly powerful and somehow very real. He was aware of her in every way, her thoughts and emotions were suddenly very clear to her and he knew in a deep and primal way, how much she loved him. A sudden pain pierced his heart when he realized how much she secretly feared him. There was something new in her, in both of them, that could not be named. A power greater than themselves had awakened within them and changed their bond into this force that now resided between them.

She spoke his name softly, her voice filling him with her love. "Vaughn..." She had no idea where to begin, no idea what to say to him. She wanted a few moments more with the man she had always known before the secrets were revealed and they were both changed forever. She reached out to touch his face, cupping his cheek in her palm. He kissed the palm softly as it came to his lips and smiled at her.

"Tell me that you love me, Vaughn," Sydney's plea was a bit too desperate to her ears. She saw a darkness in his eyes that indicated he knew her fear.

"I love you Sydney," he wanted nothing more than for her to know the depth of that love, the intensity with which he knew it. The power that it awoke in him, he was an unstoppable force in his love for her, nothing would hold him back anymore.

She sighed and lowered her face to his chest, a silent sob shook her and he held her tightly, fear growing at him as he sensed her own fear grow. "Vaughn, I love you no matter who you are. But these secrets can destroy us if we let them."

His own fear grew at her words, engulfing him and chilling the warmth he felt in her presence. She spoke as if she knew the secrets in his soul, the dark and terrible things he could not bring himself to voice aloud. He had not been able to accept the truth, even after so many years, he kept searching for the lie that would prove it false.

"Sydney," her name was a sigh on his lips. He did not want to speak, he wanted only her. He wanted to make her happy, he did not want to inflict this terrible pain upon her when he had borne it alone for so long.

Her fingers came up to touch his lips, preventing the words from escaping. He was grateful for her touch, the warmth of her flooding back into his blood soothed him and he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him in silence, the grave expression on her face suddenly shifted and blurred again and he saw her in the vision, standing in the light and looking at him as if she knew, deep inside, what was happening to them.

Their lips meeting was as natural as it had ever been, it never mattered where they were or when. When the sparks between them flew, the air was charged with static electricity. Their lovemaking was like a lightning storm, energy flying between them, an exchange of heat and emotion.

In this white world where there were no more walls between them, they fell into each other in a whole new way. This connection between them that had always been there, sinking beneath the surface, had been awakened in a powerful new way. Together, they were their own world that no one else could penetrate and they allowed themselves to fall into it in the little time they had.

There was no telling what lay beyond those walls that had fallen. There was no knowing what was waiting for them beyond the white walls of the stone room that gleamed like the white light of Vaughn's vision.

--


	4. Chapter Three: An Open Door

--

Chapter Three:  
An Open Door

--

Down in the bottom of the temple, William waited nervously. He hated the anxiety that rose in him about what he was doing. He had waited his whole life for this one moment, and he could not bear to face it yet. He could not bear to face him.

William sat back in the chair and lit a cigarette, the smoke hovered in a cloud above him. He was shrouded by his own illusions.

Looking at the desk, he saw the pictures he had of his son. The old childhood photographs that William himself had taken. And after he had left, photos he had found of him through other means. He always knew where Vaughn had been in his life, he had been waiting for the right moment. He had waited too long.

He could see himself in the photos on his desk. The fresh faced government agent, wanting to do some good in the world. Vaughn had been given a life free of this haunting legacy until now. It was catching up to him after all the years he had run from it. Vaughn had never known he was running from his father

The door opened and William closed his eyes. He knew it was her, how odd it was that Irina Derevko was the one person he knew he was safe around.

Have you found the bastards who crashed into them yet? He could not stop himself from being vulgar, he was disgusted by himself. Irina was watching him with her silently apprasing eyes. 

It was clearly someone working against us and our ends. Someone who wants to see our children dead, while we need them very much alive. I suspect the only remnant of the Covenant that remains; Sark. Irina bit his name off with displeasure. William turned to face her and could not help but smile.

It is rather hard to keep track of Mr. Sark, William aknowledged. But he represents everything we are against. For too long, people have been using Rambaldi for their own ends. Its not right. William's eyes seem to look upon Irina accusingly and she flinched under his gaze. He was one of the few people she hated to disappoint.

It is good to be back among the living, Irina told him. The warmth had gone out of her voice, leaving it chill as ice. And you know that I have always worked toward the greater end, William. I thought you were the one person who really trusted me. She did not say that she trusted him, William noticed.

His eyes fell back on the picture of Vaughn and he was once more amazed at the feel of his son's presence so close to him. William could sense the emotions that were pouring forth from the room far above him. He could only imagine what Sydney and Vaughn were discussing... or what they were doing. William frowned and concentrated on closing off the emotions that were radiating to him from Vaughn, lest they become too intense and overwhelm him suddenly.

From his picture frame on the desk, Vaughn seemed to watch his father with accusing eyes as he grew up from one photo to the next. He had grown into this man that William had pulled from fire and death. William had known his son as a child, known his fears and his loves. He did not know the man who waited for him in the white room where he had left his lover to handle him. William could not yet bring himself to face him.

I know how you feel, Irina could read him like an open book. Her words were painfully true, and he knew it. She sighed and shifted slightly, the only sign of her own anxiety. When I came face to face with Sydney, I was terrified. We cannot help but love our children, even when they hate us.

William rubbed at his eyes wearily with his knuckle. All these years I waited for the time when he was ready, he looked at her and his shoulders slumped in resignation. I never thought that I would be the one who was not ready.You are, Irina spoke so simply. You should know better than to let your fear control you.

William paced nervously on the bare stone floor as Irina sat back and watched him. She was ever so patient at times, but he knew that she was quick to rise to anger and lash out, but not at him. Rarely did she ever lash out at him, they respected one another too much.

I don't suppose you'll face them with me? William entreated her though he knew her answer would be the same. She was already shaking her head before he finished speaking

Not yet, they'll demand to know why I never told them that you were alive, Irina's eyes flashed with a sudden fire that William knew very well. They had argued in the past over this matter, despite all of her secrecy, Irina did not like keeping something this big from her own daughter. I can't be the one to face their wrath, not until they have heard something of an explanation and that can only come from you, William. You hold more answers than I.I know, he sighed heavily, the burden of the years weighed heavily upon him. But it is they that hold all of the most important answers. I just have to find a way to get them to work with me, rather than against me. It is imperative not only for them to learn the truth, but that we learn it as well.

Irina's eyes were dark with her understanding of this plight. She had long been the only one who worked as he did, for a greater purpose that not even they knew the whole truth of. But soon, very soon, they would all know.

--

Curled together on the bed, Sydney and Vaughn were lying in silence. She was waiting for him to speak, waiting for the questions to come and for the world to change.

Who brought us here, Sydney? His question was a whisper in her ear and she sighed softly against his chest.

Your father. It was such a simple statement but she knew how much it meant to him. He stiffened against her and closed his eyes.

I should have known. There was a note of bitterness in his voice and Sydney wondered at his easy acceptance of the fact .

Sydney did not know where to begin. Do you know why we are here?

He sat up and moved away from her, swinging his long legs off the bed. His body protested the sudden movement and he fought the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him. I have my suspicions. But you know why we're here. He knew, deep in his soul, that the door to his deepest secrets had been opened. Sydney had stepped through and uncovered more than even he knew. William had opened this door for them and they could only go through together.

Sydney was chagrined by his words and sat silently for a moment as she watched him pace the small length of the room.

What the hell is this place? Vaughn's low murmur of frustration was muffled by the stone of the wall as he leaned his head against it heavily. He felt his skull impact with the cold, hard surface with a dull thud and a wave of dizziness swam through his body. He could tell that he was not fully healed. Yet he dared not turn his eyes back to the formula that had swum through his bloodstream only moments earlier. He could not bring himself to move back over to the bed, where Sydney sat, watching him in silence. He had removed the tube from his own arm, after Sydney had given him a terse explanation of its nature. He feared the unnatural green glow of it and all that it represented.

Sydney watched him, her dark gaze following his every movement. She wanted to memorize every line of his body at this moment. She wanted to remember his innocence, his naivete that had always clung to him like a second skin. She did not want to shatter his illusions.

Closing her eyes, she remembered the first time she had seen him. The way he had hovered so cautiously around her in the small CIA office. She had been so focused on her own words on the page that she had barely even glanced at him, shrugging him off with an arrogance that she only later saw fully. He had been so patient with her and above all, he had always been honest. Now the limits of that honesty were to be tested, the moment had come and she could not hold her tongue any longer.

How long have you known? Her question was a whisper between them, a current of air that floated from her lips to his ears. He halted in his movements, letting his hand trail down across the wall carelessly. She watched that gesture with greedy eyes, knowing it to be the last one he would make as the Vaughn she knew, before he became something else before her eyes.

He turned toward her slowly, a sudden weight upon his shoulders slumped his height. He could not meet her gaze, studying her body instead. The rigid set of her shoulders, the tight clasp of one hand over the other as if to keep them from shaking. So many signs that he had become familiar with, they spoke to him as clear as the emotions that were currently bouncing between them. She was terribly afraid and that hurt him deeply, he knew that he could not lie to her any longer.

Known what? His voice came out bitter and cynical to his own ears, but he could not help it. That I am descended from the line of Rambaldi? That I see unbelievable things in my dreams that later came true, despite how impossible they seem? How long have I known that my father was really alive?

Sydney was stunned, she had not guessed at how much he had kept from her. That knowledge stung her and cracked the armor of her resolve. Why didn't you ever tell me? There was heartbreak in her eyes.

Vaughn's face crumbled and he dropped suddenly, the weight too great for him to bear. It crushed him to the floor and on his knees, he looked up into her loving gaze.

How could I? The pain in his voice was too much for her. She could feel her own eyes begin to burn with tears but she could not bear to look away from him.

How could I attempt to explain what I could never understand, myself? He reached out to take her hand, freeing from the death grip she had encased it within. He stroked the palm of it tenderly and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

The visions have been with me since I was a child, his lip curled in distaste at the word vision.' She knew that Vaughn had never been a man of faith, he was not one to believe in any supernatural power, especially not in himself. He had been hiding from his own power for his entire life, trying to outrun his own destiny.

About six years ago, I discovered an oddity in my birth records. It was back when I first tried out to become field qualified. I had to gather my papers for the CIA and I found that I had misplaced my copy of my birth certificate. He shook his head wryly, still astonished at the simple coincidences of fate that had led him to that moment.

So I went to my mother's home in attempt to find the original. She was not home at the time but I knew where she kept her papers, and the few papers that my father had left behind. They were in an office in my old home. These files had always been kept from my curious eyes but I had left it alone, for my mother's peace of mind. She insisted that I never dwell on the past but instead, think on the future.

Vaughn's gaze had taken on a distant look, as he searched inwardly for his own memories of that time. That dusty little room hadn't been touched in years. It seemed that my mother had barely stepped foot inside since my father's death.' And the door had always been locked to me. He shrugged, My lockpicking skills aren't bad, not nearly as good as yours, he flashed her a brief, but brilliant smile. It almost blinded her in the face of her sadness. But I found my way in.

He took a deep breath, clearly unwilling to speak the next words aloud. Sydney squeezed his hand in reassurance. She could feel his love for her swell within his breast, reaching out to envelop her in his warmth.

My curiosity got the better of me, once I had made it into the room. I could not help but open the drawers of every cabinet, pore through the files. At that time, they were the closest I could get to my father and I needed them at that moment, I needed him. The pain in his eyes this time was one she had seen before. The sorrow of missing his father, all of his life. He still missed him, though they both knew he was alive.

Most were case files, assignments he had been given, memos he had recieved. All carefully coded of course, but I knew the code by then. None were really important... Except for one file, hidden in a false bottom in his desk, that gave me answers to questions I had not yet begun to ask.

Sydney felt a chill wash over her at his words, despite the warmth she felt in his presence. His words were so like William's at that moment. With a slight tug on his hand, she pulled him up onto the bed with her, once more and wrapped her arms around him. He complied willingly, automatically, his body moving but his mind was far away.

In that file was the record of my birth, but it was not the one I had always known. It identified me as Vaughn and said that I had been born to William Rambaldi. It was not an official document, but it was written in my father's hand. There were photos of me, a newborn. I had been born deep in the forest somewhere, hidden away from civilization, something I had never known. The thing that chilled me most, however, was the third signature at the bottom of the page. The woman who had stood as witness to my birth, as midwife to my mother... Vaughn looked at her with a suddenly clear gaze and Sydney's hand trembled in his grasp.

It was the signature of Irina Derevko.

Sydney gasped aloud, her mind reeling at the statement. I was also confused by this, and I was becoming increasingly alarmed. It made no sense to me. This was a woman I knew only as a wanted terrorist, not only that but I believed she had killed my father! How had my father known her? How had he been close enough for her to trust her to be present at the birth of his child? It made absolutely no sense to me and I felt a panic rising in me like I had never known before. This paper completely contradicted everything I thought I knew to be true. I didn't understand then, I didn't know how far back this thing went.

The words had been spilling out of him in a stream at this end and Sydney softly covered his lips with her fingertips. A sigh left him at this contact, a breath of hot air fluttering against the palm of her hand. For a long moment, she could not speak.

How odd it seemed now to her that all along, she had been calling him by his true first name. The name Michael had always felt unnatural on her lips, but Vaughn had always been who he was.

Do you remember that very first mission Sloane sent me on that involved Rambaldi? He nodded mutely, a darkness passing over his face at her question.

You told me then that you had never heard the name Rambaldi before. Her fingers dropped from his lips and she swallowed hard against the lump continously rising in her throat. You lied to me.

His face was dark with pain at this betrayal of her, he could not deny it. Yes, I did. It was a low, shame filled whisper. I was given no choice, you see. It was then, that I discovered that there were forces in the government who knew of my connection to Rambaldi.

Sydney frowned, her brow knitting delicately. 

Vaughn shifted uncomfortably. I'm not quite sure. It's something that I have been trying to discover for years but it has proved to be a very dangerous mission. It is someone high up, someone who wanted to keep me away from you and from what you would uncover about Rambaldi. Don't you remember that I was immediately replaced by Lambert?

Illumination of this mystery just seemed to uncover deeper and darker secrets of their own past together, it seemed. Sydney could not help but feel like they were puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.

I thought it was because you were too young, inexperienced...Thats what I thought for a long time too, it wasn't until much later that I figured it out. Somebody knew that we were both involved in these Rambaldi schemes and was trying to keep us apart.But they failed... I refused to work with anyone but you. Sydney had always wondered at that. Vaughn had driven her insane in the beginning, but he had been the one person she felt that she could trust. They had had an instinctive connection from the beginning and only now did she wonder, how much of their relationship had been carefully charted out and watched by other, unknown and unseen eyes.

So... Someone in the government threatened you against speaking to anyone about your knowledge of Rambaldi? These pieces of the puzzle did not seem quite right to Sydney, the layers of deception were thick upon them, distorting the edges so they did not fit with the rest just yet.

Not quite, Vaughn's face heated, a mixture of shame and embarassment. They threatened you. Sydney was taken aback, yet it made sense. It was the only way Vaughn could have justified this large a lie. He was nodding slowly, his eyes careful on her face.

I was told that if I ever spoke of my knowledge of Rambaldi, limited as it was. That you would be killed in a most brutal fashion. All I knew at that time, was that I was somehow connected to Rambaldi through a convoluted stream of blood that had been passed down to me from my father. It was not information that I was truly willing to share, so I kept quiet. He squeezed her hand hard and brought it up to his lips, kissing the palm gently.

Despite the warnings I recieved, no one in the CIA, or the DSR, thank god, had any idea of my connection to Rambaldi. And seeing what they had done to you, Vaughn shook his head, guiltily. I did not want to invite that upon myself, I would lose everything. I would lose you. He had thought of a hundred excuses over the years but they all boiled down to that. He could not lose her. He was terrified of her disappointment, her anger toward him that he did not think he would be able to quell.

I thought about telling you so many times, but I couldn't know for sure if it was true. As far as the CIA knew, Milo Rambaldi had never married, never had children. Any special powers he might have had, died with him.But they didn't, Sydney could not yet see the larger picture but parts of it were coming into focus. The information that William had given her, in its small doses, had been overwhelming and Vaughn's own knowledge seem to fit in with its pattern.

These visions you spoke of, Vaughn. What are they? Sydney looked at him with new eyes, he could feel the familiarity of her gaze mingled with this new strangeness that had fallen upon him. This was precisely why he had never spoken of it.

Taking both of her hands firmly into his, he swung his legs up onto the bed and sat cross legged, facing her. She sat opposite, their knees touching, entwined hands resting in the space between them. She felt the touch of his mind on hers, opening to her so she could know truly what he had experienced.

There is one dream that I have had since I was a young child, it was a whisper in her mind as well as from his lips. Sydney could see him clearly in her mind's eye, a young boy with bright eyes and a joyful smile.

I am always running. He shook his head, When they first began, there was only darkness behind him. Then as I grew older, a red sun rose above me, illuminating an earth that was rapidly withering away. The land was dead but I knew, that it had once been lush and fertile. Life had evolved there out of the same earth where it had returned. All that remained was a red sun which hung low in a bruised sky.

Vaughn was silent for a moment, but Sydney could see the vision unfolding in her mind as if she had known it already. As if it had been waiting for her somewhere deep in the depth of her own brain, waiting to be seen.

When the sun finally dies, it does so with a great roar. A wave of water covering the land rushes upon me and I run from it. He hesitated upon these last words as the weight of the water sank into her mind, the way it had closed over him in the end. Every time it had closed over his head, until the last time.

I remember when we were in Russia, attempting to retrieve the Mueller device. I came after you on instinct and when I saw that wave following you down the hall, I stopped and stared. In that moment, I saw my vision before me with waking eyes. I knew that the red orb had exploded and water had rushed toward you. A deadly formula created by Rambaldi, which invetably infected me when it finally reached me and threw me against the door. I remember seeing your face through the haze of unreality, that in those last moments I had been running toward you. You were the light before me, calling out to save me from the waters.

Sydney remembered the look that had filled his eyes at that moment, the incredible fear that had taken over him. She understood now why he had stopped and stared in horror, though it had never been something she had deeply questioned.

After that, the visions came more frequently, in my dreams as well as when I was awake. They shifted and blurred, but often I saw you. I had a preternatural sense about you in a way, one that I was always unconsciously aware of. He smiled softly at her and reached up to brush a lock of hair out of her face. The gesture was so acutely Vaughn that Sydney wanted to cry. No matter who he was, he was still her Vaughn.

We have always made an incredible team, Sydney whispered. Vaughn bent his head to kiss her hands and when he looked up at her again, there were tears shimmering in the ocean of his eyes.

The entire time I have known you, Sydney, I have loved you. Before I knew you, I loved you. I was always running toward you, and time and again, you have saved me. You are all that I have ever truly wanted in my life, more than my father, more than the CIA, more than knowing the answers to any history of who or what I am. He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against hers. Sydney wondered if this is what his proposal would have been like if he hadn't done it in the back of an airplane moments before jumping into chaos.

When you married Lauren, I felt it was the ultimate betrayal. Sydney's words were simple, but they struck him like a blow. Vaughn shuddered at the name of his, thankfully, dead ex-wife and felt shame creep over him.

But when it was your father who revealed to me that you must already know some of these secrets, I was terrified that you had betrayed me in an even deeper way. I could not stand that hurt again, Vaughn.I know, he kissed her forehead gently. He seemed to be attempting to convince her of his love, though she truly did know how deep it went. I swear to you, Sydney. I will never lie to you again. His voice was so honest and hopeful that she had to smile at him.

with one word, she absolved him of every sin he had committed against their love and took him into his arms. Because we're in this together, Vaughn, her eyes darkened. There is so much waiting for us outside these walls that I don't even know where we will begin.He will come for us, Vaughn's voice was low and dangerous as he spoke. There was a touch of anger in it, mixed with fear and hope. There is no doubt of that. I suppose he is finally ready to face me.

Sydney caught his face in her hand and turned him toward her. You are much like him though you will not like to admit it once you see him. But you must remember that you are both going to be very obstinate.

He surprised her with his laughter, his head tipping back out of her hand as it escaped his throat. That doesn't surpise me in the slightest.Nor should it, the new voice spoke from the corner, an older echo of Vaughn's own amused tone. William stepped into the room, the door closing behind him to vanish back into the wall. Vaughn tried to focus on it for a brief moment, studying how it slid shut and where the cracks for the opening must be, although they remained hidden.

Then his eyes moved to his father. William stood before the two of them, having crossed the room in a few long strides. The sight of him startled Vaughn so that he remained speechless. He had prepared himself for this moment, but he could never truly ready himself for this.

There was a moment of silence in which father and son regarded one another cautiously. Then William broke out into an uneasy smile, it slid across his face uncertainly.

You're just as stubborn as I, you know that your mother is a strong woman but she listens to reason far more than you or I ever have. Though, women usually do. William smiled more confidently at Sydney, and she could not help but smirk.

Vaughn stared at him, disbelieving. He did not know what to say, but words managed to escape nonetheless. How would you know anything about a woman you left nearly thirty years ago?

William's face darkened and the smile creeped away. A terrible sadness filled his eyes and instantly Vaughn was sorry that these were the first words he spoke to his father. Yet he could not control the anger that burned in him ever so slowly.

Marie understood, William said softly. She was a believer.

Vaughn stared at the man in disbelief. This was not quite how he had imagined this conversation. He stared up at the man and saw his father, the one he had known as a child. He was older of course and he looked very tired, but there was a power about him that Vaughn remembered well.

Slowly, Vaughn stood to face his father. Sydney watched the exchange in silence, slowly releasing Vaughn's hand as he moved away from her. He squeezed it tightly before he let go and she knew he was grateful for her support.

The two men stood opposite one another, energy seemed to crackle between them. Vaughn looked upon with cold eyes for a long moment while the warmth in William's seemed to blaze like a fire.

There was only one word that slipped from Vaughn's lips, He swallowed hard and shook himself, It was the plea of a child, for some measure of understanding.

William's composure seemed to crumble at the greeting, tears filling his eyes. He could not help but step foward and embrace his son. Vaughn stood woodenly in his arms, fists clenched at his sides. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and his arms around his father for the first time since he was a child. He did not know what else to do.

--


	5. Chapter Four: Opposing Energies

--

Chapter Four:

Opposing Energies

--

The phone call came when Arvin Sloane least expected it. He was sitting in a hotel room in Amsterdam, mourning the ruin of his life once more. Everything seemed to have crumbled down around him. The room was painted in darkness that clung to the single light he had cast over the papers that surrounded him. Manuscripts, documents, secrets that he could not puzzle out. He knew now that secrets of Rambaldi would never be his.

The sound of the phone ringing startled him from his reverie. The papers sprawled across the desk were cast aside as he searched for the source of the sound. No one was supposed to know he was here, but he felt compelled to answer it nonetheless.

The voice on the other end was one he had not expected to hear. It was one he had not heard in almost thirty years. It broke through the veil of the years and brought him back to the core of his obsession.

"Arvin?" The man spoke slowly but with an old familiarity. "It is time."

A chill washed over Arvin Sloane and he sank down onto the bed, crushing the papers he had been so diligently studying. They no longer mattered.

He had come so far to reach this moment. Yet he wondered if anything he had done had made a difference. He gripped the phone hard against his ear, knuckles straining with the pressure. Staring into the space beyond his vision, he did not see the chaos of his life surrounding him. He only saw his purpose. It had been over thirty years since the Schism had occurred. It had been then that his life had first changed forever, it was then that he first lost the knowledge. He had hunted them throughout the years, chasing after threads of his old life in vain hope that they would lead him back to the core of Rambaldi's power.

Thirty years earlier, the secrets of Rambaldi had been in his grasp. He had believed in them as devoutly as a priest follows his god. He had turned his back on them once and it had changed the course of his entire life.

He had no doubts any longer. His life lay in ruins and he could trace it all back to that moment. He had been trying to make up for his mistakes for years but his atonement had been his temptation. Now he was a broken man, he had lost his coveted positions of power, one by one. First within the Order itself, where he had been lost on the wrong side. The Alliance that had formed afterwards had chased after its own ends, not Sloane's. The CIA would never trust him again, not unless he had something good to hand over to them in exchange for his life. He did not know where Nadia was, the beloved daughter whom he could not even be sure was truly his. Sydney had been lost to him for years, he had realized her importance in his own search far too late.

He had thought he had obtained the missing link. When he had recruited Michael Vaughn to work for him, he thought he had found the missing piece in the Rambaldi puzzle. He had been watching Vaughn, and waiting for the moment when he revealed himself for what he truly was. Sloane's own greed for Rambaldi had been his downfall once more, but now he was being given yet another chance.

"What must I do?" There was no doubt in his voice, perhaps Arvin Sloane could atone for his mistakes after all.

--

"You look well," there was concern in William's tone as he gazed upon his son. He held Vaughn at an arm's length and blinked through the tears that damned his eyes. Vaughn stood in silence, watching his father wordlessly. There was too much to say, too many questions to be answered.

With careful fingers, William examined his son with the precise movements of a doctor, or a healer. He took Vaughn's head in his hands and focused his energy to sweep through Vaughn's chakra, examining every line with his mind. Vaughn felt a chill go through him, it seemed to seep into his blood ever so slowly. He shivered involuntarily and William smiled.

"You are still feeling some dizziness of course," his smile was as gentle as Vaughn remembered. William's gentle hands fell away from his son's head. He seemed satisfied by what he had found.

Vaughn frowned and pressed one hand to his head, the ache that had been residing in his skull had vanished. He felt washed clean, purified in every sense. That awareness of his own energy, the feel of the power coiled in his limbs, was surprising to him in its intensity. However, he could not help but feel like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I would prefer to give you another dose of the formula, just to be safe..." William hesitated as fire flared brightly within Vaughn and he took a step away, out of his father's grasp.

"No," Vaughn spoke quietly, but there was a dangerous tone to his voice. "I do not wish to be a pawn in this game, father." There was a deep sorrow in his eyes that pained William.

"You are not a pawn, Vaughn," there was a touch of pride in William's voice that seemed to sting Vaughn with its affection. "You are so much more than that."

Vaughn stared at his father, shaking his head. "I never asked for this." His voice was accusatory and William was pained by his words.

"None of us ever asked for this burden, Vaughn," William wanted to reach out to him, meet his son's mind as he had when he had first healed him. He held himself back, wary of overwhelming Vaughn too quickly.

Vaughn's eyes darkened at his father's words and he dropped his gaze from his father to the floor. Sydney watched the exchange between the two of them silently. She could feel the energy crackling around them, between the two men who faced each other. She could feel Vaughn's energy so clearly, the strength that lay in both of them that had finally been woken.

That power seemed to infuse Vaughn's voice as he spoke again, "I can't imagine how far back this history must go. The secrets and the lies that perpetrated my entire life and for what purpose, Father?" Vaughn's voice was harsh with anger but his eyes pleaded for some understanding. He wanted to know. Sydney wanted to know the answers too, but she knew that she was delving into history here that she had never imagined. There was a dark truth hidden in secrets too far buried to be unearthed.

William reached out for his son, not with his hand, but with his mind. He touched Vaughn's heart lightly, the energy lines of his chakra bloomed before William's eyes. Vaughn's energy glowed with a white light, it reached out to the power that pulsed in the blood of all three of them.

Sydney and Vaughn reached out for one another at the same time as they saw what William saw. The network of energy that connected them all was suddenly and stunningly revealed in their vision. The white light of Vaughn's energy tangled with Sydney's golden aura, a tangled web of threads connecting them. Where their hands met, the power radiated upward and in that moment, William could see the true depth of their power together.

William smiled and in the brightness of their vision, Sydney and Vaughn could see his benevolence. His love towards them was profound, as was the wisdom that had been carried down through his blood.

"There is so much history to be told," his voice seemed to fill their heads with the incredible weight of his words.

Vaughn gripped Sydney's hand tightly and she squeezed it in reassurance. They were in this together. Sydney moved her gaze past the bright light of the energy to William's face, focusing on him. He seemed to glow even brighter in her vision but she forced herself not to look away.

"How?" It was hard to find her voice, it seemed to her that she spoke with no words but through the connection of her mind to theirs. Her blood spoke to theirs and understood the arcane language.

William's smile was brilliant, he leaned in close to them as if to reveal a great secret. "Through my visions, of course. I was never a great prophet myself, my visions for much of my life were of the past." The depth of sorrow held within these last words sank into Sydney and Vaughn like stone into water.

"It was not until after your birth," William nodded toward his son, "That my visions became more of the future. Your own visions, Vaughn, were always of the future, the ones I know of."

Vaughn became tense at these words, Sydney could feel his energy coiling within him, pulsing with a quiet focus. "What do you know about what I have seen?"

William reached out with one hand and physically touched one of the lines of energy that radiated between them. It glowed amidst the light of the others with a warm, amber energy. It spun between their minds like a nexus, an entire galaxy contained in this small room.

"When you were a child, your mind was like an open book to me," William's smile was filled with love this time. Vaughn felt the warmth of his father's affection wash over him and he could not help but be comforted by it.

"I knew all of your fears then, they were simpler then and not as profound as now." William shook his head, "Most of them anyway. Sometimes you had terrible nightmares that you would babble to me upon first waking from then, but you were never able to remember in the morning." William looked at the man standing before and for a moment, he could see the young boy he had known buried deep within him. He wished he had the power to take away his fears now, but he knew he could only confirm them.

"It was then that I knew you had the power in you, untapped and waiting for a catalyst. Your visions could only be seen in the realm of your unconscious mind. Since that time, you have surely had visions in your waking life." William looked at his son, awaiting confirmation of this fact. Vaughn nodded slowly, even now he could still see it before his eyes. It was so fresh in his mind, so vivid.

"When you were a child, you spoke with the voice of a prophet. A voice that I have known very well over the course of my own life." Sydney would say, from what she had seen, what she had heard, that William spoke in this voice now. A voice of power.

Vaughn studied his father with a quiet intensity, his power gathered around him like a cloak of light. "I do not know what it means to be a prophet. I have never understood what my visions mean until it is too late." The waves roaring above his head, the water choking his breath, Sydney standing helplessly on the other side...

"If you always knew what I was, why did you never teach me to understand it? You left me alone with this thing! You left me alone with a legacy I did not understand, with a mother who could not speak of your secrets. You left me a life filled with lies." Vaughn's anger was blazing now, heat radiated off his skin in waves that beat against William's walls. Through the haze of pain, Vaughn could see it reflected in his father's eyes. There was a profound sorrow there that disturbed Vaughn.

"You have looked into my mind, Father. Can you tell me what you have seen? What the hell it means?"

William took a deep breath and looked hard at his son, the intensity of his gaze seemed to go through Vaughn. "If only I could take back the pain of the years, but you cannot understand my actions until you understand the history that led me to that moment, that has brought us to this moment right now." William was shaking with the power of his words.

"There is so much already that I must show you, Vaughn. You must understand that only you can interpret your own visions. It is part of the gift."

Vaughn stared at him in bewilderment, "You call this a gift?" Even as he spoke the words, he wondered if he could let go of it. The intimate connection he had to Sydney's mind was so raw and new to him, but he was already intensely attached to it. Perhaps it was a gift.

William bit his lip and looked from Sydney to Vaughn and shook his head. "It is a mixed blessing now. But there is always danger with power, both of you must understand that. You must never give in to the temptation of greed that comes with power, because it has corrupted so much of our beliefs already."

Sydney noticed that he spoke of them as being on his side and wondered what side they were truly on. "Whose beliefs are we speaking of, William?" Her dark eyes glittered so much like her mother's at that moment when she looked at him. William wished Irina had come with him for this, he could have used her support. He could see the way Vaughn moved so easily around Sydney, the natural kinship between them was deeper than even they knew.

"My beliefs have evolved over the course of my life, but I have always had the luxury of history that the pair of you were denied. The lie of the past was created out of necessity, all of our lives were at stake." William took a deep breath, "My beliefs come from the Order of Rambaldi, the ancient history of our family stretches back beyond Milo. The power has evolved within our blood for centuries, even I do not know where the history truly begins." Sydney and Vaughn listened, watched him with brightly focused eyes. They absorbed his words seamlessly, waiting for the answers that would inevitably come. William spread his hands, as if to show them the depth of his knowledge.

"What I do know is where my history begins, what I have read and what I have seen in visions of my own and the visions of others. Anything that you think you know about the Order of Rambaldi is a lie. The true Order dissolved into chaos over thirty years ago when several trusted members revolted against the ancient beliefs. They sought to use the power of Rambaldi for their own cruel ends. However they believed that they could never achieve their evil purposes while any descendants of Rambaldi still lived."

"They wanted to kill you," Vaughn said.

William looked at his son sadly, "They wanted to kill us both, Vaughn. They wanted to kill you before you had even been born." Vaughn flinched at this information and shook his head.

"What about my mother?" Sydney asked suddenly, "How does she factor into this?"

William smiled at Sydney and shook his head, "Irina has been the most devoted believer I have ever known. There were times when even the strength of my beliefs waned but Irina was always there to remind me what we were fighting for."

"Which is what?" Vaughn demanded, "What is worth more than the life you built for yourself? More important than your son, Irina's daughters?"

"You don't understand yet, Vaughn. You were always the most important thing, you and Sydney. You two are the future." There was a touch of anger now in William's voice. It matched Vaughn's perfectly, two forces standing against one another.

"Show us this history, William." Sydney spoke quietly, her voice floating between the intensity of the two men. "You are giving us no choice but to hear you out and all we could do is is try to understand." Her hand landed lightly on Vaughn's chest and she looked up at him. His eyes, focused on his father so intently, fell to her, glowing with light. She wondered at how she had never been able to see this power within him before now.

"We can argue after we know all the facts, Vaughn," her words were gentle and filled with love. Her touch seemed to spread a soothing warmth through his blood, it came alive within her presence. He gathered his tangled emotions and tried to tuck them back inside for her sake.

"You're right, Syd. Of course," Vaughn smiled at her lovingly and William tried to hide a smile. They were already fulfilling their destinies, they just did not know it yet. Vaughn turned back to his father and the warmth of his smile faded into an icy stare. He could not bring himself to trust him quite yet.

"I'll hear you out, old man," Vaughn shook his head. "But can we do it somewhere a bit more comfortable? And is there any food in this place, I feel like this is going to take awhile and I would like to get through it without starving to death first."

William could not help but laugh, it was such a simple, human, request. "Of course. If you'll just follow me, I'll find you something to eat and try to figure out where in this long history to begin."

--

If she closed her eyes and focused her mind, she could almost hear them. The soft murmur of voices resided in the back of her brain, amidst a swirling of colors that she associated with the people who spoke in the rooms far above her.

William was with them now, her old friend and trusted ally. She could see him standing before Sydney, her precious and dangerous daughter. Sydney was quiet, almost dangerously quiet, Irina would say. She could feel the fierce energy of her daughter and knew that she was standing protectively beside the man she loved. Irina smiled at the mental image of her daughter, she should have warned William to be wary around her.

Vaughn was a flickering light in the darkness of Irina's vision. He was someone beyond Irina's own comprehension, she had sensed the strength of his power when they had first met. That had been long before the moment she had faced him in that jail cell within the depths of the CIA. It had been the moment he had taken his first breath in Irina's arms. She had delivered this screaming child from the womb and into the world that awaited him. She had known then, the power he held in his tiny body. He had grown into a man who even she found formidable at times. He had much of his father in him, and the strength of the precious Rambaldi blood.

Irina knew the moment would come, when she would have to explain to Sydney that the mystery of the power in Vaughn's blood also lie in her own. The history of their blood was as long and as complicated as the blood of Rambaldi itself. They had been chosen, centuries ago, to serve a purpose. Irina had always known her purpose, but Sydney still did not know. There was no way she could fully understand, ignorant as she was of the history behind it all. Beyond the veil of power, there were secrets that had been long buried. Soon they would be brought to light for the first time in years and she shivered to think of what would happen as a result.

She had waited a long time for this moment. It would be an exorcism of her own soul, a confession of every sin committed in the name of Rambaldi. Soon, she would add her power to that of William, her prophet. They would tell their stories, the long history of their blood and reveal the secrets they had both sworn never to tell.

--


	6. Chapter Five: The Catalyst

--

Chapter Five:

The Catalyst

--

The passage through the tunnels of the stone was lengthy. The chill of the stone sank deep into Vaughn's bones as he moved through them. He could not help but feel as though they had been buried far underground and were slowly moving up toward the surface.

Sydney walked close beside him, her hand still tangled in his. No matter how they moved, they moved as one. Each of them were carefully surveying their surroundings, their trained eyes taking everything in with careful measurements. Their newfound psychic abilities however, made them vitally aware of not only each other, but all other life around them. The cold stone seemed amazingly warm with life to them, as if they were buried deep in the heart of the earth and could hear her heart beating in its core.

Vaughn could feel the moment the passed above ground. The earth seemed to shift its awareness around him and distantly, he could sense the energy of at least one other human life in the nearby vicinity aside from the three of them. He wondered who it could be, what mysterious figure would step out of the past next. Irina, most likely, he mused. She was the only one his father trusted. How ironic it was that Vaughn had hated her for killing his father when such a death had never actually occurred. The man who walked before him with such a familiar stride, this man was his father. Vaughn could feel it, deep in his blood. They were connected in ways that he had not even begun to understand.

They emerged suddenly through a doorway into a wide open space. William raised one hand and slowly the white stone of the walls became translucent. Before them stretched an impressive view of mountains and forest stretched out far beneath them.

Sydney and Vaughn both stared with incredulity and looked to William. "Where exactly are we, anyway?" It was Sydney who spoke, she had imagined them to still be in Los Angeles, at least still in America. But the vista that spread before them was distinctly European. She thought she recognized those mountains, as if she had been here before but she could not place them.

William smiled, "This temple is one of my favorites. It was built directly into the mountain so that it could not be discovered by any but those of the Order. The tunnels stretch from deep underground, all the way up to the top of the peak. We are about halfway up at the moment, the view from the top is spectacular. I will show you, if you wish. You are both welcome to explore as much as you wish, but you may need me to guide you to some of the more hidden areas."

Vaughn stared at him, "The surprises just keep on coming, don't they? How masterfully you fooled me into thinking that you were boring when I was a child." There was humor in his tone, as if he could not help but be amused.

William grinned wider now and shook his head, "Come, sit and make yourselves comfortable. There is some food in the kitchen."

Sydney and Vaughn looked around them, taking in the lush, but sparse furnishings of the room. Together they seated themselves on the couch facing the windows, looking out over the horizon.

"Notice that he didn't tell us where we are?" Sydney murmured as she curled herself beside Vaughn. He draped one arm around her comfortably, never losing his grip on her hand. A frown furrowed his brow and he nodded at her quiet question.

"I feel like I know this place, though," Vaughn spoke softly into her ear as he leaned close to her, pulling her into him. They fit naturally together, like every rough surface had finally been polished and all the pieces fit.

Sydney nodded, her face concentrated in thought. Vaughn leaned his head against hers and instantly her thoughts were communicated to him. She was studying the sky behind the mountains, the shape of the mountains were so familiar to her. The way the colors of the sky were painted across the horizon was important in some way. She could not place her finger on it.

William returned, breaking them both out of their reverie. He placed the food on the table before them, along with steaming cups of spiced tea. Vaughn dug into the food hungrily but Sydney remained lost in thought, her gaze still focused on the horizon.

"I have always loved this view," William spoke softly to her as he sat in a chair beside them. His own gaze was fixed on Sydney and her eyes slid to him easily. He smiled at her as if the two of them held a secret, held just between them. She thought suddenly that he knew whatever it was that she was trying to remember.

Sydney put the feeling aside and focused herself on what they had come here for. "So where does this history begin, William?"

Vaughn straightened to attention, instantly alert and wary. William regarded them calmly, his fingers steepled at his lips. He was lost in thought for a moment before nodding to himself.

"There are many beginnings over the course of our own lives. But there are few people in this world today who truly know where they come from. What the Order has given me is a place in the world, a knowledge of exactly who I am and where I have come from. Our family legacy stretches back for centuries, over two thousand years, in my knowledge." William paused, as if to clarify a thought.

"When I say our family, I do not mean simply you and me, Vaughn. Sydney, your family has long been a part of the Rambaldi family, though never directly blood related. In due time, you will understand what I mean by this."

Sydney frowned in confusion and opened her mouth to question him, but immediately decided against it. She trusted that he would explain it to her in full.

William saw her reaction and smiled kindly, "It will all be clear soon enough, my dear." He cleared his throat and settled into his chair comfortably. "This history has all been written down of course by many hands over the course of the centuries. The prophets of the family have also contributed a great deal to the knowledge of our own history, including many of my own visions. There may come a time when I will not be able to speak the words to you, but show you through connection that we all share, the events themselves as they unfolded. If you believe that you can handle it, of course, which I am confident you can." Indeed William's words were so confident that Sydney and Vaughn could do nothing but nod silently in acceptance of this fact. They would understand it when it came.

"The beginning as I shall tell it is the one I know, which is the founding of the Order itself and the first man who took the name of Rambaldi. The first of our ancestors that I know of was a Roman scholar named Michel," William smiled at his son. "When I changed your name, I gave you the name Michael, after our ancestor. The name of Rambaldi has been changed many times over the years as to keep us hidden from the rest of the world after the unfortunate chaos that Milo created for us," William grimaced and shook his head. "But that will come in due time. First we begin with Michel, who was a scholar in ancient Rome. When Caesar came to power within Rome, Michel enlisted to become a soldier and was sent to Egypt."

William paused in his dialogue, "If you can understand that period of time in the ancient past, it was long before Christianity had taken hold of Rome. Various pagan religions flourished in every part of the world, men and women worshipped their own forms of God and Goddess, respectively. Polytheism thrived and there was much ancient knowledge of the innate powers within all humans. Ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced civilizations on Earth. They were more advanced, than we are today, in many ways. They sought spiritual and mental growth as equally as they sought material wealth." William paused to take a sip of his tea, and gather his train of thought.

"When Rome invaded Egypt, the city of Alexandria burned," there was a haunted look in William's eyes as he spoke. "I cannot express to you in words the beauty of Alexandria as I have seen it in my visions of Michel's life. Nor could I express the horror of how it burned and with it, went the ancient libraries that contained so much precious knowledge that has never been recovered."

With a gentle touch on Sydney's and Vaughn's minds, William eased some of those images into their minds. They sat in silence as the images of the ancient world bloomed inside their memories. As if they had known all along and William had merely unearthed a memory of their own that they had not been able to recall.

"Now, as I have said, Michel was a scholar. He thirsted for knowledge above the blood of battle and when Alexandria burned, he found his way into the great library. He had read of ancient texts that had been hidden there. Secrets that could allow humankind to become powerful beyond imagination. These were the secrets of science. Michel smuggled them out of Egypt and did not return to Rome. He traveled far across Europe, studying the ancient texts in secret. It was he who first developed the formula."

"This formula," Vaughn could not help but interrupt. "Was that what you were injecting into me?"

William nodded, "Yes. I explained to Sydney some of its nature when she first questioned me about it," he smiled affectionately at Sydney and she nodded silently.

"Michel did not know the nature of the formula. The manuscript detailed its nature and how to create it, but it never specified precisely what it would do to the one who took it. Michel had no one to experiment on, however, but himself. The first dose of the formula that he took instantly began working in his blood, in his brain. It advanced his mind into a higher state of consciousness. His enhanced awareness brought him incredible psychic powers, he was able to move objects with his mind. He was able to touch the minds of others and know what they felt, sometimes he could see into their minds. He developed incredible powers of healing, mainly within himself. He was not as strong as some of the later prophets, in his power to heal others. However, as he continued to develop the formula and use it upon himself, he continued to grow stronger. Through his vision was his understanding of the world enhanced." William's eyes shone with fervor, his voice gaining in intensity as the story progressed. Sydney and Vaughn sat before him, spellbound.

"Science was not forbidden at this time but it was coveted by the government. Michel did not desire political power but spiritual power. However he could not quite control his power as it grew within him. He became a sort of holy man, taken to long spells of prophecy in which he would simply wander from town to town, healing the sick and foretelling the future. He was a soothsayer of the times, considered to be touched by the Gods and many people revered him. It was he who gathered the first followers of what would later become the Order. His travels took him far into Northern Europe, the Slavic countries where many so ancient pagan cultures continue to thrive into today's society. He brought his knowledge with him and it won him high regard there, as elsewhere." William took a deep breath and looked out over the horizon. Vaughn wondered how close they were to the place where Rambaldi had first come to power. Was this the place or was it somewhere far away? Why was it so familiar to him...

William continued over Vaughn's thoughts. "It was here that he found the woman with whom he shared his knowledge, and his heart. Her family was of old noble blood and although their numbers were dwindling, they still held great power and wealth. She was the first person he revealed his secrets to and the second person to take the formula. This is where the legacy of Rambaldi was born."

William paused to take a sip of his tea, his gaze measuring the pair before him ever so carefully. Sydney and Vaughn watched him with impassive faces but he could see the wheels turning in their brain as they processed his story. Sydney was the first to react, her nose crinkling as she frowned.

"You're saying that this history goes back to ancient Rome? That's over two thousand years!" Sydney shook her head in disbelief while Vaughn remained silent, his gaze still fixed on his father.

"Yes, the Order thrived for just about two thousand years until the schism occurred." William's lip curled in disgust upon the last word.

"You have forgotten one of the most important parts of the history, William." A new voice spoke from behind Sydney and Vaughn. A familiar voice that did not surprise them as much as her sudden appearance in the room. None of them had sensed her approaching.

"Irina, you know better than to mask your presence from me," William seemed almost petulant as he looked up at her. There was warmth in his tone however as he stood and offered Irina his chair. She took it without another word to him and looked at her daughter and Vaughn, seated across from her. The light of the world shone in on her, illuminating her like a goddess before them.

"I can't pretend to be surprised by you anymore, Mom." Sydney sat up straight and studied her mother. Irina was calm, smiling upon Sydney lovingly and waiting for her to ask the questions she knew would come.

William stood behind her, his hands gripping the back of the chair, head down. Vaughn watched him just as closely as Sydney watched Irina. He fought the urge to laugh at the seeming absurdity of their situation. Both of their parents stood before them, parents who had both come back from the dead (more than once in Irina's case...) and how could the children trust the parents? Vaughn suddenly wished that Jack was there, just to complete the picture.

Irina spoke suddenly, filling the silence that echoed in the room. Sydney could suddenly feel her mother's energy before her so vividly that her head ached.

"Sydney, you are an incredibly smart woman, just as you were an exceptional child. You were my salvation, you always have been." She shook her head, "I only wish your sister were here to share this moment with us. It is not yet her time, however. This is about you and Vaughn and the connection the two of you have had since the beginning of time."

An odd feeling came over Sydney. A swelling of the ache in her skull caused an intense bout dizziness as her mind spun. The waves of energy coming from everyone in the room seemed to overwhelm her. Vaughn's hand landed on her back as he drew his arm around her and she was instantly soothed.

Irina frowned and leaned forward, reaching out for her daughter. Sydney took her hand, smiling at her mother. She had come to love her by now, in spite of her secrets. Irina's cool hands brushed over her face, touching her temple lightly.

"I wish that we could have had time before now when I could have taught you to control your power." Irina's fingers touched upon the pressure points on her skull and Sydney felt a wave of cold wash through her blood. She gasped aloud and Vaughn's grip on her hand tightened. He knew exactly what she had just experienced, William had already given it to him in the same cold rush of blood. The warmth of Vaughn balanced the chill of Irina's healing touch and the ache subsided from Sydney's skull.

"It is overwhelming at first, when the power rushes in your blood." Irina murmured softly as she examined Sydney, her careful fingers examining her daughter's face.

"It does not help when there are so many others around with the same power in their blood. Yet we are drawn to one another like a moth to a flame. It is in your blood, Sydney."

Sydney gazed up at her mother and felt suddenly like a small child again. Irina held her face in her hands and Sydney cast her eyes downward. She could see Vaughn's hand in her own and she drew a deep breath. "I still do not understand my role in this."

"I know, but I spoke the truth when I told you that you were the Chosen One. So many others have misinterpreted that prophecy and the results of that have not been fair to you over the years. So many times, I have wanted to tell you the truth." Irina took a deep breath and stepped back, her eyes flickering to William. He met her gaze and they seemed to be arguing silently until Irina shook her head.

"I suppose that I should tell the rest," Irina said quietly. "It is only fair that I tell my part."

Sydney and Vaughn exchanged a long glance, their eyes speaking silently. Irina and William watched them, the flow of their energy together was so natural. They could all see it.

"In the beginning, the Order was composed of very small group of people. There was Michel and Julia and a small number of devoted followers that came who came to them seeking their ancient knowledge. These followers were mainly men and women of low blood, who sought a higher purpose in life. Michel and his wife took them in and treated them as family, so long as they never revealed their knowledge of Michel's power to anyone. The followers loved Michel and Julia and revered their power as if they were touched by the Gods." Irina took a breath and looked at William, he confirmed her knowledge with a small nod and she smiled. Vaughn had the feeling that there were very few secrets between his father and Sydney's mother.

"The Order was like a family. Michel and Julia were the parents and those who followed them were beloved sisters and brothers. The secrets of Rambaldi were known by no more than a dozen people and those who shared in the power were even less. Michel wanted to keep it secret, the violence of the times and the corruption of the government was something he wanted no part of. He shared his power with his wife, and through their blood, their power passed onto their children."

"Their first child was born approximately ten years after Michel had first taken the formula and opened his mind. Five years since his wife, Julia, had first taken it and over the course of time, both their powers had strengthened considerably. Despite the strength of the parents, however, the child was born near death. Michel called upon one of his followers, a healer named Anaiya. Although she had never taken the formula, she had her own innate psychic abilities. This was what had drawn her to Michel in the first place. She had been born of very old blood which was powerful all on its own."

Irina closed her eyes and Sydney's mind was filled with the vision that her mother was recalling. i A woman with pale skin, eyes dark as midnight. Her long, ebony hair was tied in a braid that she gripped tightly. Her knuckles were white as she stared at the woman on the bed. The man who stood beside her glowed with a soft light that calmed her and he placed one hand on her shoulder.

"Anaiya," his voice was warmth to her chilled skin and she looked up into his verdant eyes. "She is much too weak to continue, I cannot save both her and the child on my own." Grief filled his face, new lines seemed etched into his face. The depth of his sorrow pained her, she loved him as she loved her own brother, now dead and gone back into the earth. Opening her mind, she filled herself with her power. It seemed to stretch up to her out of the earth itself, a deep and lasting connection that had been with her all of her life. She stretched out to William and felt his power join hers. His power was of water and fire while hers came from the depths of the earth and her own spirit. They joined their minds seamlessly and together, they reached out to the woman on the bed.

"Don't worry, Julia." Michel smoothed a loving hand over his wife's forehead and the woman let out a low moan that tore at Anaiya's breast. "We are made of stronger stuff than this. We will last forever."

/i

Sydney came back to herself with a gasp, it was like surfacing from underwater and she shook herself of the waves of energy. Irina and William looked at the both of them calmly and when Sydney turned to meet Vaughn's eyes, she knew he had seen the vision as well. His eyes were bright with the power just as she knew her own must be.

"That woman was the mother of our family, Sydney. She was my ancestor just as Michel was the forefather of William and Vaughn. Since the beginning, our blood has been entwined with that of Rambaldi's." Irina's eyes were soft with love, and Sydney could see the depth of her mother's devotion toward the powerful woman that had begun this chain of power in the Derevko women.

"Anaiya had never been given the formula, but her power in healing came from a much older magic. She had been a priestess to an ancient Goddess of the Celtic world. Her family had been killed by the Roman armies, her temple destroyed. Her entire world had fallen apart and when life had brought her to cross paths with Michel Rambaldi, she had sensed his power. Despite his Roman face, she could see that he had the heart of a sage. His power had enthralled her and she had followed him willingly."

"Anaiya was the first, outside of the blood of Rambaldi, to be given the formula." William spoke quietly from behind Irina when her words had ended. His words came so fluidly upon hers that it was as if they spoke with the same voice. "Together, Anaiya and Michel worked together to give Julia the energy needed to survive. Anaiya delivered their son," William smiled down at Irina on these last words and she looked up at him with warmth. "Just as Irina was there when you were born, Vaughn."

Irina picked the story back up, her husky tone replacing William's smooth voice. "Anaiya was a catalyst, her power when combined with the power of the Rambaldi blood increased the strength of both. Her daughter, born years later, was the next catalyst. Anaiya was the first to prove her devotion to the blood of Rambaldi. Michel had long been searching amongst his followers for another with whom he could share the power. It was in Anaiya that he found it. He gave her the formula and a sacred oath that she would protect the secrets of Rambaldi for as long as she or any of her ancestors lived and held the power in their own blood."

Sydney was silent for a long moment, Vaughn was watching her closely while absorbing the story of his ancestry. He touched her mind with his own and could feel the the weight of this knowledge sink into them both.

Vaughn touched Sydney's face, turning her gaze upon him. The darkness of her eyes shone with the light of her power, it reflected his own a hundred fold and within each other they could see eternity. An entire world spun between them and within them.

Sydney licked her raspy lips and Vaughn could not help but brush them with his own. "I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised that you're my soul mate," she whispered into his kiss and he could not help but chuckle softly.

"Anaiya saw this moment," Irina's voice was a whisper now, there was a hint of awe in her voice. "When she was first given the formula, she and Michel shared a vision of the future. They saw their blood stretching down through the centuries, they could see the way the blood of Rambaldi and the blood of Derevko would remain entwined throughout the centuries. They saw a culmination of the powers that grew within their blood, the mingling of blood that would inevitably come to pass and with it, a new era."

The words were those of prophecy. Irina spoke them with a quiet intensity in her voice, her eyes were distant and bright with power. William's eyes were shut as he listened to her intently. Sydney wondered which of them had first had that vision of the truth or if they had seen it together many years before. She wondered how long before her own birth, her life had been foretold by others.

How much of her life had been carefully controlled by forces she was not aware of? How much of it had been her own choice, how long ago had Fate chosen them both for this path?

"Why us?" Vaughn could not help but ask, he still needed a reason. He could not help but be aware that the secret history of blood that had been revealed was the very thing that had brought him to Sydney. He could not hate it, aware of that fact. He was grateful for whatever forces that had brought her into his life. They were forces deeper and more profound than he had ever imagined.

"There has been a prophet born to every generation of Rambaldi. For every prophet, there has been a catalyst. William was my prophet," Irina smiled affectionately at the man beside her before glancing at Sydney. "Vaughn is yours." Her eyes shifted to the man beside her. His gaze still seemed to hold a touch of wariness but his mind was open to her knowledge.

"What is most important is that the two of you have a connection beyond the power of your blood. You love one another in the way men and women have loved one another since the beginning of time. When the two of you fell in love, you set yourselves on the path that you had been born to follow. You did this of your own free will and nothing ever kept you apart. The restrictions of the CIA never applied to you. The betrayal you felt that Vaughn caused you when he was brainwashed into marrying Lauren was nothing compared to the love you had for one another. The connection that you have had over the years has been stronger than anything else in your lives. It was always meant to be that way."

"But why?" Sydney could not help the snap of frustration in her voice. It seemed like the picture was so clear but the answer remained still out of focus. "What are we meant to do?"

Irina and William exchanged a long glance and the silence stretched around them. Sydney's words seemed to echo in their ears and the question was in Vaughn's mind as well as he looked from Sydney to their parents.

William's voice was soft when he answered, "The answer to that question, my dear, is what we have brought you here to find out."

--


	7. Chapter Six: One Step Closer

--

Chapter Six:

One Step Closer

--

Sydney and Vaughn rose against their parents as one. The energy between them crackled with power, light flaring between them. Irina and William stood against them, the question was whose power was truly greater. William and Irina knew how to control it but Sydney and Vaughn both contained raw and untrained powers that they had only just discovered. That power might destroy them all.

There was a hiss of rage from Vaughn and everyone in the room could feel the power filling him. When he spoke, his words echoed loudly in the space of the room. "You're still lying to us!" The force of his words seemed to impact the pair that they were directed to. William and Irina both flinched visibly and took a step back. Sydney shifted the force of her gaze to Vaughn and he did not flinch.

"I may be able to believe this history you have told us, despite its absurdity. But I cannot believe that the two of you do not know what we are meant to do. I believe you told us that you had all the answers." Vaughn let out a long breath and shook his head.

"I told you that I had the truth, Vaughn. This is the truth," William took a step forward and reached out to his son. The heat of Vaughn's anger still crackled around him but he did not flinch away from his father's touch. William gripped his son's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"You are the new generation of Rambaldi. If the Order was still alive at this moment in time, we would be celebrating the awakening of your powers. But as it stands, Irina and I are all that remain of the true Order. The rest have scattered around the world, crept into the shadows. Others continue to hunt us, to this very moment." William's voice was quiet and intense with honesty.

"There are a select few people outside of this room, who know the secrets of Rambaldi that I have shared with you. These people are hunting all of us. Irina and I have been running for years, why do you think the two of you were hidden in America. Each of you was left with a parent who could protect you and raise you to become what you are today. Irina and I always knew where you were, what you were doing. We were watching over you. For years, you were both hidden from the world. Until the day the two of you met." William smiled, "By then, both of you had a pretty good handle on protecting yourselves."

"Is that so?" Vaughn's words were filled with bitterness. "Who protected Sydney from being captured by the Covenant? I thought that she was dead for two years. Where were you, Father?" His voice was shaking at the end and William could see tears glazing his son's eyes.

"Who protected me from the crazy assassins, who brainwashed me into believing that I loved her?" the bitterness in his words made Sydney's mouth sour as she tasted them. These old wounds had cut her as deeply as they had cut him. They had both been bleeding for far too long.

"Or how about the first time Sydney met Irina after thirty years, I was left for dead then. I was left for dead in a tidal wave of water that poisoned my blood." The vision hovered Vaughn's eyes as that moment came to mind. William could see the vision, reflected in his mind and he shivered at image.

"Let us not forget," Sydney interjected softly. "That the formula that poisoned Vaughn was a formula that Rambaldi invented."

Silence hung in the room after the words had been spoken. Vaughn nodded slowly and William and Irina stood silently, letting the wave of questions wash over them. William's gaze had dropped from his son's and it seemed that their parents stood before them, ashamed. They were like petulant children suddenly and Sydney wondered when the roles had changed.

"The fact is that the name of Rambaldi has hurt us far too much in the past for us to trust it." Sydney's voice was matter of fact. "I am sick of hearing that I am some alleged Chosen One."

"But you have been chosen," William's voice was protesting but it cut off as Sydney raised one hand to stop him.

"Chosen for what?" Sydney was demanding to know but there was no answer forthcoming. She shook her head in disgust.

"I have lost far too much in the name of Rambaldi. My mother, my free will. I lost two years of my life! All in the name of Rambaldi!"

William looked at the two of them with profound sorrow, "I cannot give back the years you have lost with Irina as much as I could get back the years I lost with my son." William's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am for that," there was genuine heartbreak in his voice. "But the evil people who have tried to control you for their own purposes. That was beyond my control. There is some evil that I cannot fight alone. This is why the two of you must join us. Our enemies are the same. The people who have used the powers of Rambaldi for evil are the ones that must be stopped. Only you can stop them."

"How do we really know that yours is the right side?" Vaughn asked quietly. "How can we trust you?"

William swallowed hard and shook his head, "I have tried so hard to protect you, Vaughn. You are my son, my blood. That is has always been the most important thing in my life, was to ensure that you were as safe as you could be."

"All so I could live to fight your battles?" Vaughn shook his head in disgust, "You let me live this long to fulfill some damn prophecy that I have never even heard."

"Vaughn," William took his son by the shoulders and looked at him hard. "I will say this once and you must never doubt it. You are my only child and though I missed out on so much of your life, I have always been proud of you. You are your own man now and only you can decide what you will do, but know this. You can walk out of this room right now and away from me forever, but inevitably you will fight this battle. Your choice is simple. You can either stay with me and learn everything that I have to teach you or you can dive headlong into something you do not understand and get yourself killed."

William's grip on Vaughn was almost painful and he raised one hand to push him away. William caught his hand and spoke again, intent upon getting through to his son. "I will not watch you die if I can help it."

Vaughn stared at his father for a long moment, the moment pressed in upon him like a weight on his mind. Finally, he gave in and he relaxed beneath his father's tight grip. He turned his eyes to Sydney, who was watching them silently. She met his gaze wordlessly and spoke into his mind.

"_Should we trust them?"_ She was waiting upon his word, trusting his judgment in this. Vaughn took a deep breath and shut his eyes, her image still imprinted upon his mind. He nodded slowly and opened his eyes.

"Fine." It was a terse response, still full of wariness, but William relaxed.

"Good," He released his son and stepped away. "Now, to begin."

William did not get any further than that however. It was at that moment, that the world around them seemed to explode into chaos.

Everything seemed to stop, the light hovered above the horizon in the distance. Against the glow of the sky, came a dark shape hovering above the mountains. Before Sydney could register it in her gaze, it had grown larger suddenly. The room fell dark as the light was obliterated by the growing darkness and a cold dread crept over everyone in the room.

That was when the glass of the windows exploded, glittering shards shot into the room. Moving instinctively, Vaughn grabbed Sydney and threw them back against the couch. She moved into him with lightning speed and pushed her weight with him. The couch toppled over and they rolled onto the floor behind it. They crouched behind the shelter of the seat of the couch. Glass flew over their hands, bouncing against the floor behind them like raindrops. The chimes of the glass shattering once more against the floor deafened Sydney and she hid her face in Vaughn's chest as he wrapped his arms protectively around her.

The next thing she knew was the unfamiliar hand grabbing her arm. Instinctively, she twisted up out of Vaughn's grasp and grabbed her assailant by the wrist. Beside her, Vaughn was grappling with another man. They were both cloaked in black from head to toe, masks hiding their faces. As the man flipped to the floor in front of her, Sydney kicked him swiftly in the stomach. He back flipped up and the fire of his eyes flashed at her from the darkness of the mask. He advanced towards her and she growled furiously. Sydney strode towards him, hands outstretched. She felt a swell of power surged up within her. Her skull felt like it was splitting apart, her mind was buzzing with energy. With one swift motion, she pushed her energy outward, against the man before her.

The shock wave rippled outward, catching her assailant in mid stride and throwing him backwards. He flew threw the room and hit the wall with a sickening crack of the skull. Sydney swallowed a wave of naseua as she watched his dark figure slide down to the floor. Sydney fell to her knees, gaze fixed on the dead man. She did not know what she had done, but it terrified her. He was dead and she had barely touched him.

Another hand touched her shoulder and Sydney spun around, gripping the wrist. She looked up into Vaughn's concerned eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked as he pulled her to her feet. She stumbled against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Vaughn surveyed the room, darkened now by twilight. Whatever vehicle that had crashed into the window and delivered these assassins was gone.

"I don't know," Sydney frowned. The horror she felt at what she had done was suddenly replaced by a sudden panic. The room was too still, no one moved beside them. "Where is my mother? And William?"

Vaughn sprang into movement so quickly that Sydney spun behind him before jumping to follow. They shoved aside the couch to reveal the figures of their parents lying on the floor before them. A dark pool of blood connected the two bodies. The blood gleamed darkly against the floor, seeping into the white stone and staining it with red. The blood seemed to snaked over the floor in the shape of an eye that stared up at them accusingly.

Sydney could see the warm colors of the light glinting off of the glass that had pierced their bodies. She let out a low moan and dropped to her knees beside her mother at the same moment Vaughn reached William.

"No, no, no," Sydney reached out with trembling fingertips to touch her mother's forehead. She felt like a small child again, reaching out for her mother. The warm of her skin seemed to be fading fast and desperately, Sydney felt for a pulse. At first there seemed to be nothing there, but then she could feel it. A faint fluttering within the blood that called out to Sydney.

Sydney looked up at Vaughn, who knelt in the pool of of his father's blood. He cradled William's head in his lap and was shaking miserably. "No," he whispered. "This isn't fair."

"Vaughn," Sydney's voice was commanding and instantly his head snapped up to look at her. She reached out for his hand, her mother's blood stained her fingers. Vaughn took her hand in his grasp easily, the blood on his own hands was slippery against hers. Their parents blood mingled on their fingertips, the power that echoed within it called out to their own. Her hand felt like it was on fire when it touched Vaughn's, the heat racing through her suddenly. She touched William's mind lightly and felt the flicker of life within.

"They're still alive, Vaughn. I can feel it." Her voice was matter of fact and she looked hard at him. "We have to heal them."

Vaughn looked from his father to Sydney, alarm was growing within him. Their hands were entwined over the the still bodies of their parents. Energy glowed between them with a soft light. The threads of energy were threaded through Sydney's fingertips, waiting to be weaved.

"We don't know how, Sydney..." The fear within him had not faded. He could not yet trust this power.

"Vaughn," Sydney's voice was soft but insistent. "Let your fear go and open your mind to me." She could feel the power racing within him, waiting to be joined with hers. She wondered what it would feel like. She remembered the way their minds had joined, their bodies had melded, earlier when they had made love. It seemed like a million years ago now.

Vaughn looked at her with wide eyes and then slowly he nodded. He shut his eyes and reached deep into himself. The spark of power, hidden in his blood, blossomed into fire. He let his walls drop and reached out to touch Sydney's mind.

She welcomed him easily, her own power reaching into his blood as he touched hers. Their minds joined together seamlessly, the power flowed in a current of energy between them. The contact was electrifying, Sydney could feel Vaughn's presence within her as intimately as if they were one person. She embraced his energy, his love for her filling her heart full. His power swept over her in a wave, engulfing her in his warmth.

They were two figures, sitting in the shadows of the twilight, bathed in the white light of power that bloomed between them. Their light chased away the darkness and hung suspended over the bodies of William and Irina.

"_Now we must reach into them, follow my lead."_ Sydney could never say how she knew what to do at that moment in time. The answers had come to her, as if she had remembered something hidden deep in her memories that had never been known before. Vaughn followed her lead easily, the immensity of his power swept over her. He was so strong, but she knew that he was not nearly as strong without her.

Together, they reached out to lay their free hands on the foreheads of their parents. William's chest rose in ragged breaths, though his eyes did not open. Irina's chest was barely moving, the stillness of her, the muted nature of her energy, terrified Sydney. She fought to keep that fear from controlling her as she proceeded. She could feel the spark of life that originated from deep in Irina's mind, pulsing through her blood. It was the power reaching out to her and connecting their blood.

Moving as one, Sydney and Vaughn reached out with their combined power. Their energy delved deep into the still forms. Sydney could feel the power within both Irina and Vaughn reaching out to her and she guided the flow of energy in response. The power seemed to weave into intricate patterns as she laid the threads over one another, connecting them. She reached into the blood of their parents and pulled on the energy inside them.

Light bloomed around their fingertips, simultaneously. The skin of both William and Irina seemed to become translucent and Sydney could see the blood flowing beneath. She focused on stopping the flow of the blood out of the bodies. She knit together the flesh with intricate weaves of power. There was a tinkling of glass as shards fell out of William and Irina's skin. The flesh healed itself, aided by the power of Sydney and Vaughn's healing touch. The hearts began to pump stronger and Sydney could feel the energy of the both of them returning at a rapid pace.

At long last Sydney lifted her hand from her mother's head and opened her eyes. Irina's eyes were open and wide with amazement as she looked up at her daughter.

Beside them, William was opening his eyes to look upon his son. Vaughn sat back with a sigh of weariness and William sat up. The blood remained upon his flesh, but the wounds had closed. With a sense of wonder, William wiped a streak of blood off his chest to reveal unmarred flesh beneath. He looked up to meet Vaughn's darkened eyes.

Silence echoed in the room as the four people faced each other. The roles had been reversed now. Sydney and Vaughn had risen to the challenge and proved the strength of their power together. The light of their power continued to glow around them and William and Irina could see now how their auras had merged to connect. Their power was joined and it was unlike anything they had ever seen before.

"It's not possible..." William whispered. "Not since the beginning has anyone held this much power together... We should be dead now. The best healer could not have done what you just did without the aid of the formula. Never so quickly."

Vaughn sighed heavily and got to his feet. He stretched out one hand to his father and William accepted, standing beside his son. Vaughn looked at his father for a long moment and then shrugged. A small smile crept over his face, "I have a tendency to break the rules."

"That's not true," Sydney said as she stepped close to Vaughn's side. She smiled up at him and took his hand, "You tend mostly to break rules when I'm around."

Vaughn considered this for a moment, "That is true." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I would follow you into hell, Sydney. I just hope this isn't it."

Irina shook her head with a wry smile. Wiping a smear of blood from her cheek, she looked at the two of them with wonder. "No, my dears." Her eyes glittered as she spoke.

"This is what takes us one step closer to the Gods."

--


	8. Chapter Seven: Aftershocks

--

Chapter Seven:

Aftershocks

--

The cool air of the breeze wafted in through the now open window. Glass covered the floor, sparkling shards that gleamed against the white stone. The warmth of the twilight had faded into deep violet shadows. The four of them stood in front of the broken window, glass glittered everywhere around them. William and Irina carefully examined the broken window before turning to examine the destruction of the room. The attack had begun in one second and how long had it lasted? Vaughn could not recall, the had moments stretched forever in his mind. He had been beyond time when he had reached into himself for this power and killed them without a thought.

Darkness was growing in the room and the wind seemed to spread a chill into the stone that sank into his bones. Weariness washed through him, his mind going blank with exhaustion. He faltered in his step toward the dead men and Sydney reached out to steady him. He was so grateful for her presence.

Her touch gave him strength, filled him with calm. Vaughn held up one hand and light appeared. The power that filled him seemed such an natural extension of himself now, the simple tasks that he performed without thinking. He was no longer surprised by it but he was curious and wary of it. He did not trust it, did not trust himself any longer. The light he had conjured seemed to seep out of the stone, illuminating the room with an eerie incandescence. He had no idea where it had come from, he simply pulled it out of the energy of the stone.

The bodies of the men still lay on the floor. There had been four of them, Sydney saw now. She only remembered killing one. Her gaze turned upward to Vaughn who looked upon the scene grimly. His face seemed pale and his jaw was clenched. Sydney looped her arm through his and he softened at her touch.

"They all came at me at once," Vaughn murmured. "I'm not quite sure what I did..." His eyes darkened and he shook his head. "Energy rushed through me, the power building. I pushed it out toward them and they flew away." His voice was so weary, Sydney could see the darkness in his eyes. He was so tired, such an incredible output of energy in such short a time had taken its toll on him. Sydney understood, her own mind seemed to be moving slowly, struggling to catch up with suddenly weary limbs. It was odd how intwined their powers were. They were both acting unconsciously upon the same impulses in their blood.

"I know," she whispered softly. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a long breath. She was suddenly very weary, the day seemed like it would never end. She longed to curl up beside Vaughn in the darkness and let it all go.

William and Irina were looking at the bodies with a critical eye. The men were sprawled on the floor, their dark forms starkly contrasting against the white of the stone. There was very little blood, but not a single form stirred with life.

Irina stood over the bodies, hands on hips and she looked up at William. "Who do you think it is this time?" Her question was directed towards William, who was busy pulling the masks off the corpses. He frowned as each unfamiliar face was revealed and shook his head.

"No one knows the location of this temple aside from us, Irina." William frowned, "No one who remains alive," his frown deepened and his voice grew dark. "Except... maybe... Sloane..."

"Sloane?!" Sydney and Vaughn's voice erupted as one. The shock that passed over both of them was felt by both Irina and William. They turned to look at their children with a mild look of bemusement.

"You're working with Sloane?" Vaughn wondered how many other people were involved. Jack had to know more about this than he was telling, he always did. Rambaldi always came back to Sloane, though. He was the one who had brought it into their lives before they had known what it would do to them.

William shifted uneasily and looked back down to the bodies on the floor. He began removing the gloves, searching the hands of the bodies for the tattoo of Rambaldi.

"Sloane was a member of the Order before the schism occurred." William spoke matter of factly, though Vaughn could see the subject pained him. "I trusted him then, and he betrayed me many years ago. He was one of the few who lived to remember the secrets of Rambaldi. But Arvin Sloane has always been exceptional at keeping secrets." He spoke as he inspected the hand of the corpse and revealed the tattoo of the eye of Rambaldi on the hand. William growled in disgust at the sight of it and thrust the dead hand away from him.

"These criminals mock the name of Rambaldi," his voice was filled with anger and disgust. "They have no right to wear that symbol." He shook his head and rose to his feet. "No matter who sent them, they could have only discovered our location from Sloane."

"Sloane would do anything to discover the Rambaldi endgame. I don't doubt that, I have seen the depth of his obsession with Rambaldi. But if you knew Sloane in the past, then I don't understand how he never recognized Vaughn."

"He did," Vaughn's voice was quiet in response to Sydney's words. She looked at him curiously and he shook his head. "When I was first recruited to A.P.O, Sloane always seemed a bit too interested in me. He was always watching me, like he was waiting for me to do something unbelievable." Vaughn shifted uneasily and looked down at the bodies on the floor in a gesture incredibly reminiscent of his father only moments earlier.

"Once, he mentioned knowing my father." Vaughn's gaze shifted up to William who stood watching his son warily. "He told me that he had known my father in his early years at the CIA. That I was more like you than I knew."

William drew in a sharp breath at the words and shook his head, "I was not sure if he knew who you were, but he did." He frowned to himself, "Sloane knew that you were Rambaldi and he never took advantage of that."

"Sloane would not dare to hurt Vaughn while I was around," Sydney spoke heatedly as she stepped closer to Vaughn. He drew her close to him and though she curled into his body, her stance was still protective. "He already killed one man I loved. I made him promises that I intend to keep, that if he ever hurt anyone I loved again I would kill him." Her voice was so matter of fact, so filled with resolution that for a moment no one could respond to it. Vaughn dipped his head to plant a soft kiss on her forehead and she reveled in the beauty of that moment amidst the ugliness of the room.

"If Sloane is the one after us, then we have to leave this place." Irina spoke now, filling the silence with her husky tone. William nodded in agreement, "It is only a matter of time before he comes himself."

"Its not like Sloane to send a few thugs after us, however." Sydney looked around the room with new eyes and shook her head. "Sloane would send one assassin that could slip in and do the job quietly. The only people capable of that is Sark or Anna Espinosa. And neither of them are lying on this floor, dead." Sydney shook her head.

"No, this isn't Sloane's style. There must be someone else behind this, someone whom Sloane might have given the information to." Sydney looked up at Vaughn and he nodded, as quick as they were to blame Sloane they had to look at all the facts.

"These men came after me," Vaughn spoke quietly, his voice was so tired. "They left you two for dead in the floor," he nodded toward William and Irina. "There are four bodies here and only one man attacked Sydney. The other three came for me and I killed them without even thinking, with a power that I cannot control." His eyes had been fixed on the dead men at his feet and when he raised his head, his face was wet with tears. He fixed his gaze upon his father and spoke with a strong voice.

"How long have you been running from these people, Father?"

William shook his head, his face was a mask of empathy for his son. He knew how overwhelming this was for him. "I have been hiding from these men for thirty years. I have been running since the moment I left you with your mother. I have been searching for my own answers for a long time."

Sydney did not wait for Vaughn to ask William whether or not he'd found any. "Why hiding? If you have these powers you speak of, how is it that you cannot defeat your enemies?"

William's eyes glittered as they turned to Sydney, "They have their own power. During the schism, many artifacts were thought lost or destroyed. Some were taken by the men who betrayed me. For years, I have been searching for what I have lost. The artifacts of Rambaldi belong, by right, to the four of us standing here. We are all that remains of the true blood of Rambaldi and the blood of the Catalyst."

Sydney could feel a thrumming of her blood at his words and she shivered. She thought of all the Rambaldi artifacts she had seen and the unbelievable power of Rambaldi. She shivered at the thought of the power that belonged to her and Vaughn through these ancient ties of blood and power.

"The CIA will start looking for us soon," Vaughn said. "I do not intend to run forever, father." He met William's eyes with his steely gaze and the two of them looked at each other for a long moment.

"That is the last thing I would expect you to do, Vaughn. But we must leave this place immediately and you must ask yourself whether or not you want the CIA to find you." William considered the pair of them carefully, studying their faces. "You saw what the DSR tried to do to Sydney when they found out she was involved in the prophecies. Imagine what they might do to you."

Vaughn frowned and shook his head at his father, "But you were a part of the CIA. You worked for them."

"And had to fake my own death in order to escape their notice. I joined the CIA because I thought I could do some good there. I thought that America would keep us safe for a short time but I knew it could not last forever. There is corruption within the CIA, you both know that. I still have contacts in the government but they do not know who I truly am."

The layers of deception grew ever deeper and more intricate. Vaughn could feel it tangling him like a spider web, latching onto him and drawing him in. The wave of weariness that washed over him this time was accompanied by a dizziness in his blood.

The room seemed to be growing ever smaller, the walls closing in on him. The shards of glass glinted cruelly, stabbing into his vision. The room was filled with shades of gray in the cool of encroaching night. A cold wind whispered into the room and Vaughn shivered. His eyes focused on the pool of blood on the floor and he felt his stomach twist violently. He shook his head as the room began to spin around him. He turned to run from the room, he suddenly could not stand the sight of it. Could not stand over the men he had killed and speak idly.

Sydney followed him quickly, her movement was a blur to the eyes of Irina and William as they watched the two of them exit. The door opened automatically in the wall for Vaughn though he did not touch the button, it just slid open as he approached and shut again after Sydney darted out after him into the hall.

William and Irina exchanged a long glance, Irina shook her head with a faint smile. "This is going to be harder than we expected."

--

Vaughn leaned back against the cold stone of the hallway. The support of the wall seemed slippery beneath him and he slid down to sit heavily on the floor. He clasped his head in his hands and breathed in deeply. The world seemed to be spinning all around him, darkness hovered at the edge of his vision. He could barely even feel Sydney's soothing presence beneath the roaring of energy within his blood. It filled his head with thunder, echoing through his skull and piercing his flesh with sharp pain.

He could still feel the stickiness of the blood staining his flesh and he swallowed another wave of naseua. A low moan echoed in the hallway around him and only when it bounced back to his ears did he realize that it had come from his own lips.

A warm hand touched his head suddenly and the hallway stopped spinning. Sydney came into focus above him as he glanced up, an angel reaching out her hand to save him. He grasped her hand desperately as it landed on his flesh and she looked deep into his eyes.

"Sydney, you have to help me," there was a terror in him that she had never seen before. She fought to control her own fear long enough to calm his. One of them had to stay calm. Her free hand stroked his hair lightly and she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into her embrace. He fit into her perfectly, resting his head on her shoulder. He shook with violent convulsions and she held on tight as each one passed.

Sydney could feel the pain in him, the guilt that weighed upon him and the exhaustion of his mind. She drew his face up to hers and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Through that simple touch, she pushed her energy into his flesh. Threading her power through his body, she touched upon the points of energy that pulsed with his own distinctive, and now familiar, power.

The dizziness subsided, the ache of his skull fading away beneath her touch. The weight of guilt that had been etched into his soul remained. She could feel it pressing in on him like shadows on the light and she let out a soft sigh.

Vaughn echoed her sigh but with one of relief, and he buried her face into her neck. Breathing in deeply, he inhaled her scent, filling himself with her familiar warmth. She was the only thing that was keeping him sane. The simplicity of these moments when she touched him and eased his pain were all that he knew of reality.

"We're a team, Vaughn, of course I'm going to help you. Never forget that I'm your ally." Sydney smiled at him and she could feel his smile curve against her flesh as he kissed her neck. They sat together like this in the hallway for a long time, wrapped up in each other.

When William and Irina finally stepped out into the hall, they did not move. Sydney simply shifted her gaze up to their parents and shrugged slightly. "Wherever we're going, we better go now because I think we need some rest." She nodded her head to Vaughn who appeared to have fallen asleep on her shoulder.

William smiled at the sight of Vaughn, his head rested sleepily on Sydney's shoulder. He blinked his eyes upward toward his father and William could see the child in him, bruised and exhausted.

"Come, we'll take the jet. The two of you can rest there. You've had a long day, but this is just the beginning." He turned to Irina and she nodded, vanishing off down the corridor. Sydney shivered at his words as she stood, pulling Vaughn with her to his feet. He mumbled sleepily, his eyes barely opening to look at her. She could feel his exhaustion coming off of him in waves and she smiled lovingly at him.

"Come on, Vaughn. We only have a little way to go, now."

William swallowed hard as he heard the words from behind. He could not bring himself to correct her unconscious meaning. There was a long way to go yet.

--

Sydney sank into the softness of the bed aboard William's private plane gratefully. She had been surprised to find the luxury of this cabin aboard his plane when the temple of stone beneath them had been so spartan. She was grateful for this luxury however, as she collapsed heavily beside Vaughn. He had been barely conscious by the time they had reached the plane and she wondered if he would remember the trip in the morning. So much power had rushed through them both in the course of this one day. She felt exhaustion weighing deep upon her bones, sinking into her blood. It had hit Vaughn hard and he had practically blacked out from the force of it.

She wondered if it would always be this way after they used their power so extensively. Though that could not be the case, they simply had to learn how to control it. They had both let it slip out of their control one too many times and it was taking a toll on them both now.

Her mother's form suddenly appeared in the doorway and Irina smiled gently at her daughter. "William and I have a few things to take care of here, but you two should rest. You do not want to burn yourselves out." She sounded so much like the mother Sydney had known as a child that she half expected Irina to come over and tuck her in. She smiled at the thought and Irina did enter the room, coming over to smooth one hand over Sydney's forehead.

"You're both so strong, Sydney," her mother's voice was a whisper as she looked down at her daughter. Sydney watched her in the darkness, the shadows clung to Irina as if they were a second skin. Her eyes glittered, despite the darkness as she looked upon the two of them. "This is nothing that you can't handle."

Sydney looked up at her mother and bit back a sarcastic reply. Instead she grasped Irina's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you."

Irina smiled, "For what?"

"For taking care of us. You almost died, you're the one who should be in this bed right now." The blood had been washed away but Sydney could still remember the sight of her mother's still form on the floor.

Irina shook her head. "Not a day goes by that I don't stare death in the face, Sydney. I do not fear it." Irina brushed a lock of hair out of Sydney's face and her face grew suddenly grim. "I only hope that will not be your fate as well. You do not know what its like to be constantly running." Her voice was so sad and Sydney could see her gaze lost on the distance.

"Do you resent William at all?" Sydney did not know where the question came from but once it was out she could not take it back.

Irina looked down at her for a long moment, studying her silently. Finally she shook her head, "William and I have disagreed on many things over the years and we have been angry with one another many times. But I have known him my entire life, he is like my brother. I love him like he is my family because he is the one person who has always been there for me. He's the one person who knows all my secrets and has even more of his own."

Sydney considered her words carefully as Irina stood and moved away from the bed. "Get some rest," she told her daughter. "This is only the beginning."

The room faded into darkness as the door closed behind her. Vaughn murmured in his sleep and curled closer to her, one arm coming over to rest on her breast. He nuzzled the skin of her neck softly, until he found a place to rest his head. His deep breathing whispered across her flesh like a soft breeze. Sydney closed her eyes and turned to curl into the warmth of his embrace. This was the only safe haven they had left. There was no world here, beyond the two of them as they blurred together in the shadows. Sydney breathed him in and let the darkness come.

--

He stood at the end of the world, his eyes fixed on the failing light of the horizon. The sun glowed red and gold, casting its fiery light upon him. She watched him from a distance, the distance between them seemed to echo. The land all around them had fallen back into the earth, the cities had sunk into the ground and only they were left standing.

The hills stretched up into the mountains like roots into the trees. He seemed an extension of the earth as he stood against the horizon. She felt as if she had been standing here forever, watching him. Both motionless, waiting, poised upon the brink of an action that never seemed to come.

She was standing on the ledge of the mountain, the archway of existence shimmered behind her. A ball of light hovered above her palm, illuminating her pathway to Vaughn. Beyond the doorway, all the worlds spun into eternity. She could step through the doorway at any moment and return to her existence. This world was dying and she knew that she could not save it.

The water was swelling up from within the earth, coming through the cracks far beneath her. The ocean was spreading all around them, covering the land and reclaiming it beneath the endless waves. Vaughn continued to stand motionless, staring it out into the horizon. He seemed engraved now upon the horizon and Sydney was not sure she would ever see him move again. She wondered at how to wake him up.

She clutched her cloak around her against the chill of the wind. It rose up off the water, a wave of death that was slowly reaching up to take them down. She stretched out her hand, the orb of power hovered above her palm. It shimmered with a white light, its power connected her to Vaughn. She closed her eyes and focused on the sphere, directing her power into it. It swept her away with the wind, taking her close to him in an instant. She was careful not to touch him as she leaned in close to whisper into his ear.

"You have to wake up now, Vaughn." It was a breath of wind against his flesh and his eyes opened. The light was blinding, but he could hear her voice.

"We cannot stand here forever and let the waves swallow us."

He turned to face her, the incredible sorrow etched upon his face tore at her. His expression was like stone, worn down and beaten into submission. When his eyes landed on her, he was illuminated by the brilliance of the light all around. He blinded her with his brilliance but she forced herself to look into his eyes, those eyes that she knew so well.

The pain that she found in him stunned her and she reached out to touch him. He was so silent but his eyes were pleading with her not to do it. She did not understand. Sydney reached out to touch the face of her lover and struck a shield between them. The impact of it threw her back, a shock wave of energy blasting outward and throwing her off the edge. She floated motionlessly in the air for a second, hanging suspended in time. She looked at him with shock and saw that he was crying. His tears were filled with blood and they streaked his face like open wounds in the flesh.

Sydney could feel her heart breaking, before the wind swept her away and she began to fall. The waves were far below her, leaping up to catch her and take her into their watery embrace.

His voice filled her head suddenly, "Sydney. You have to wake up."

--

She awoke in a hospital room. The buzzing of the machinery instantly filled her ears, the sounds had become so familiar to her. Her eyes opened to find the face of her father looking down at her gravely.

"Sydney, what has happened to you?" The fear he had for her was etched so clearly upon him. Sydney could feel her father's presence so strongly, but she had the odd feeling that this could not be right. Something was wrong. Someone was missing.

"Vaughn," his name was a cracked whisper from her lips and Jack frowned.

"Sydney, who is Vaughn?"

The question echoed in her ears and she shook herself in confusion. A wave of energy passed through her and her weary mind seemed to tingle upon the edge of awareness.

"I don't know," Sydney admitted. Her memory seemed so far away when she reached for it. Jack took a step closer to her and Sydney blinked, for a moment she could see straight through him to the wall behind. As her eyes focused on the wall, she could see beyond that as well. Beyond lay a world that was insubstantial in her unconsciousness. She wondered if she was still dreaming, perhaps Vaughn was awake already.

Vaughn, her lips formed his name silently and she struggled to free herself from the reality of the dream. She suddenly felt trapped within her own skull. She wondered if maybe they were all going mad. It would be a much easier explanation certainly.

"Dad this isn't real." Sydney looked up at him with concern. "But you are going to discover soon that Vaughn and I are missing. We're both fine for the moment," Sydney shifted uneasily as she sat up in the bed. She looked down at her body and saw that it was completely unharmed, as it had been when she awoke in William's temple. As it had been when she had fallen asleep beside Vaughn that night.

Jack frowned and shook his head, his arms folded over his chest in a defensive stance. "I trust you, Sydney but you don't trust me. There is no way I can help you if I don't know what the hell is going on." He studied her suspiciously. "Is your mother involved in this?"

Sydney glanced away from his fierce gaze and that was all the answer Jack needed. He shook his head in disbelief, "What on earth is that woman on about now? She's back from the dead for no more than a week and she's already abducting CIA agents."

Sydney smiled ruefully and shook her head, "Mom didn't abduct us, Dad. She saved our lives. There was a car crash..."

The words seemed to echo too loudly in the room. They were punctuated by the sharp sound of reality that intruded rudely upon them. The sound of the telephone ringing broke the connection Sydney had made with her father's mind. He began to slip away from her and she reached out for him helplessly.

The dream began to break apart around Sydney, the walls of the hospital crumbling all around her. The bed broke apart beneath her and she sprang to her feet. The floor opened up beneath her as her feet touched it however, stretching down into the earth. Sydney took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Once more, she plummeted through the darkness.

--

The sound of the phone ringing woke Jack Bristow instantly. As soon as his eyes opened, he knew that something was wrong. His daughter's face had filled his dreams, as if she had been trying to speak to him. A wave of anxiety for Sydney washed through him as he picked up the phone.

"This is Bristow," Jack wondered who it would be this time and what had gone wrong. The last time he had seen Sydney had been three days earlier, before she had left for some much needed rest with Vaughn.

"Jack, this is Dixon." The sound of his colleague's voice on the other end sounded weary, and a bit apprehensive. "We have a problem."

"What has happened to Sydney?" Jack was already out of the bed, pulling his clothes on as he spoke. A quiet panic always rose within him when she was in danger and he could feel his focus narrowing to that familiar state of razor sharp concentration. His daughter needed his help, he could feel it in his blood.

"Vaughn's car was found in Santa Barbara, completely wrecked. There was a lot of blood surrounding the area of the crash and some of it has been identified as belonging to Sydney and Vaughn."

Jack frowned as he pulled on his jacket and shifted the phone, "Blood but no bodies? Where are Sydney and Vaughn?" A memory whispered in his brain as he asked the question, but the answer did not come. Sydney's voice seemed to murmur beneath his thoughts but he could not make out the words.

Dixon sounded extremely troubled now, Jack could picture the other man pacing the length of his office. He let out a weary sigh that echoed over the phone line, "No one knows, Jack. They've just disappeared."

Jack felt his chest tighten at the words as Sydney's face flashed through his mind. Had she been captured? Was she currently being tortured by their enemies?

"I'm on my way in, Dixon. I'll find them, don't worry." He let the phone click into silence before the other man could even respond. Jack sat down on the end of the bed, now fully dressed and ready for action. He strapped his guns onto his body and let out a long sigh.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself. The sight of Sydney's picture on his tabletop caught his eye and he frowned at it. "Can't you keep yourself out of trouble for more than five minutes, Sydney?" Her smiling face, frozen in time forever, did not answer him. He could still hear her voice in his mind though, she had been speaking to him in his dreams. She had been trying to tell him something... Determination filled Jack and he stood up, his mind focused on this one task. Jack grabbed his keys and headed out the door to search for his wayward daughter.

--

It was still dark when Sydney woke. The windows of the cabin revealed only the barest hints of dawn. Vaughn was sitting up, beside her looking out the window above their bed. His face was illuminated by the deep blue of the night as it lightened into purple. His gaze was fixed beyond the window and Sydney wondered what he was searching for in the night sky.

"What is it?" Sydney sat up, leaning into him heavily as she gazed blearily out the window. She could see nothing but darkness, she squinted her eyes and tried to focus. Vaughn turned his gaze to her with a soft smile as she covered a yawn with her hand.

"It should be illegal for you to be so gorgeous in the morning," Vaughn told her. Sydney laughed at him and poked his side. "You're one to talk," she muttered into his skin as she kissed his neck. He was so warm and inviting, she just wanted to fold herself into him and go back to sleep. Or maybe do things better than sleep, she nipped lightly at his neck at that thought and his laughter rose up again. It rumbled beneath his skin like thunder and Sydney listened to it contentedly.

"I was so exhausted last night. I don't even remember getting in here or when we lifted off," He gazed out the small pane of glass in wonder. "I feel like every time I fall asleep lately, I wake up in a new place."

Sydney nodded slightly, her fingers idly tracing the curves of his palm. "It's quite disorienting. At least this time we were together."

"Yes," Vaughn pulled her closer until she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled herself tight against him. He let out a long breath as she fit into him so perfectly and he was filled with pure joy, untainted by any sorrows.

"I never want to wake up without you again, Sydney." His voice was so serious and the intensity in his eyes as they locked onto hers sent shivers across her flesh. Sydney just smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. He met her willingly, lips connecting, bodies melding. Their shadows moved in the twilight, they were the flickering of two flames that merge into one. When those two flames unite, they burn brighter than ever.

--


End file.
